DAMASCUS (AFP) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sacked his vice premier on Tuesday, saying the official had been absent without leave and carried out unauthorised meetings abroad, the official SANA news agency said.
The move follows media reports that Vice Premier Qadri Jamil had met with the US pointman for Syria Robert Ford on Saturday to discuss proposed Geneva peace talks.
Sana said the official was sacked after an "absence without authorisation from his post" as well as "activities and meetings outside the country without authorisation from the government."
The United States and Russia have been struggling to convince Syria s warring parties to attend peace talks in Geneva next month aimed at ending the civil war, which has killed an estimated 115,000 people.
UN-Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi was in Damascus Tuesday as part of a regional tour to rally support for the talks following a rare US-Russian accord to dismantle Syria s chemical weapons.
The talks remain in doubt, however, with Syria s increasingly fractured rebels having yet to say whether they will attend.
The main opposition National Coalition has said it will not take part in the Geneva talks unless Assad s resignation is on the table -- a demand rejected by Damascus -- while several rebel groups have warned that anyone who attends will be considered a traitor.
Assad has also cast doubt on the talks, and has said he will not negotiate with any group tied to the rebels fighting his forces or to foreign states.
Tuesday 29 October 2013
Ameer Hoti rejects father's charges against ANP
PESHAWAR: Former chief minister of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Awami National Party leader Ameer Hyder Hoti Tuesday rejected allegations labeled on ANP by his father Azam Hoti.
Addressing a press conference at Peshawar Press Club, Ameer Hyder said Azam Hoti is his father but he has turned his personal issues into political conflicts.
Hoti said beside father’s respect he would be remained loyal and faithful with ANP adding that till death he would stand by his party.
The former CM said Azam Khan’s allegations on ANP leaders were ridiculous as Asfand Yar Wali and other leaders did not sign any deal with the United States.
He said Asfand Yar even did not possess any small den in Dubai adding that his party chief’s family lives on rent in UAE.
Hoti said allegations on ANP were not new thing for the party as in past people alleged ANP as agents of India and Russia.
Ameer Hyder said allegations made by his own father were not less than fictions and time would prove him wrong as time is the biggest judge.
Addressing a press conference at Peshawar Press Club, Ameer Hyder said Azam Hoti is his father but he has turned his personal issues into political conflicts.
Hoti said beside father’s respect he would be remained loyal and faithful with ANP adding that till death he would stand by his party.
The former CM said Azam Khan’s allegations on ANP leaders were ridiculous as Asfand Yar Wali and other leaders did not sign any deal with the United States.
He said Asfand Yar even did not possess any small den in Dubai adding that his party chief’s family lives on rent in UAE.
Hoti said allegations on ANP were not new thing for the party as in past people alleged ANP as agents of India and Russia.
Ameer Hyder said allegations made by his own father were not less than fictions and time would prove him wrong as time is the biggest judge.
Drone-hit Pak family recounts terror before US Congress
WASHINGTON (Web Desk) - A Pakistani family affected by US drone strikes, appeared before members of the US Congress on Tuesday to record their account from when they were targeted last year.
Rafiq ur Rehman – a primary (elementary) teacher in North Waziristan – and his children Zubair (13) and Nabila (9) are the first victims of the covert drone programme to give evidence in person to members of Congress. The children’s grandmother – Mr Rehman’s mother – Mammana Bibi (67) was killed in a CIA strike in October 2012.
The family was accompanied by Jennifer Gibson, an attorney with the human rights charity Reprieve.
Rehman’s son Zubair, 13, said that the “US drone took my grandmother’s life.”
Replying to a question Rehman said when his mother died in the drone strike, the neighbours “told me that see what US has done to your mother, you should hate US.”
“Our children now do not want to go to school, they even fear to play outside, we live in a constant fear. Before drone campaign started, we were busy in our own lives.”
In reply to a question raised by an Al Jazeera correspondent, Congressman Alan Grayson said that presence of five members of Congress at the briefing indicated that there is a fair amount of interest from representatives. He conceded that he does not see any formal briefing on drones soon as most of the house committees are chaired by the people who are friends of military industrial complex not those who oppose of it or are sceptical of it. “I believe that over the span of time it people will realise the gravity of this issue.”
The Congressmen present though defended the strikes on allegations that they ammounted to war crimes citing legal ussyes.
To a question on what would he say if he got the chance to meet President Obama, who approves the strikes Rehman said, “I would like to tell President Obama that what happened to me and my family is wrong”.
“I would urge him to find a peaceful answer to end this war. During my stay here in US I noticed that everyone here lives in peace here and I dream that my children also be able to live in peace.”
Rehman urged the US and Pakistan government to achieve peace.
Earlier, Nabila's father, Rafiq Rehman, said he accepted an invitation from a documentary production company to come to the United States because "as a teacher, I wanted to educate Americans and let them know my children have been injured."
"My daughter does not have the face of a terrorist and neither did my mother. It just doesn't make sense to me, why this happened," he told AFP in an interview.
The Rehmans said they have no connection to any anti-US extremists or Al-Qaeda militants, and as they mourned their grandmother, they were confounded by inaccurate accounts of the October 2012 bombing raid.
Media reports afterward confirmed a drone strike took place, but said missiles hit a house, with one version alleging a car was struck and several militants killed.
But the Rehmans said no building or car was directly hit in the attack, and that paved roads are some distance away. They say missiles landed in the field where their grandmother was teaching Nabila how to recognize when okra are ripe enough to pick.
After a loud boom, "where my grandmother was standing, I saw these two bright lights come down and hit her," said Nabila. "And everything became dark at that point."
She noticed blood on her hand and tried to wipe it away with her shawl. "But the blood just kept coming," she said.
Shrapnel lodged in her right hand and she was treated at a local hospital. Her brother, Zubair, suffered shrapnel wounds to his left leg, which required two operations. His family had to take out a loan to pay for the surgery.
Since the attack, Zubair said he has trouble sleeping and no longer goes outside to play cricket.
"I don't feel like going outside and playing with my friends. I don't feel like going to school. It's really destroyed my life," he said.
His sister said the US government's explanation for drone strikes did not apply to her family.
"When I hear that they are going after people who have done wrong to America, then what have I done wrong to them? What did my grandmother do wrong to them?
"I didn't do anything wrong," she said.
The Rehman family's experience features in a new documentary, "Unmanned: America's Drone Wars," which takes a critical view of the air strikes.
Rafiq ur Rehman – a primary (elementary) teacher in North Waziristan – and his children Zubair (13) and Nabila (9) are the first victims of the covert drone programme to give evidence in person to members of Congress. The children’s grandmother – Mr Rehman’s mother – Mammana Bibi (67) was killed in a CIA strike in October 2012.
The family was accompanied by Jennifer Gibson, an attorney with the human rights charity Reprieve.
Rehman’s son Zubair, 13, said that the “US drone took my grandmother’s life.”
Replying to a question Rehman said when his mother died in the drone strike, the neighbours “told me that see what US has done to your mother, you should hate US.”
“Our children now do not want to go to school, they even fear to play outside, we live in a constant fear. Before drone campaign started, we were busy in our own lives.”
In reply to a question raised by an Al Jazeera correspondent, Congressman Alan Grayson said that presence of five members of Congress at the briefing indicated that there is a fair amount of interest from representatives. He conceded that he does not see any formal briefing on drones soon as most of the house committees are chaired by the people who are friends of military industrial complex not those who oppose of it or are sceptical of it. “I believe that over the span of time it people will realise the gravity of this issue.”
The Congressmen present though defended the strikes on allegations that they ammounted to war crimes citing legal ussyes.
To a question on what would he say if he got the chance to meet President Obama, who approves the strikes Rehman said, “I would like to tell President Obama that what happened to me and my family is wrong”.
“I would urge him to find a peaceful answer to end this war. During my stay here in US I noticed that everyone here lives in peace here and I dream that my children also be able to live in peace.”
Rehman urged the US and Pakistan government to achieve peace.
Earlier, Nabila's father, Rafiq Rehman, said he accepted an invitation from a documentary production company to come to the United States because "as a teacher, I wanted to educate Americans and let them know my children have been injured."
"My daughter does not have the face of a terrorist and neither did my mother. It just doesn't make sense to me, why this happened," he told AFP in an interview.
The Rehmans said they have no connection to any anti-US extremists or Al-Qaeda militants, and as they mourned their grandmother, they were confounded by inaccurate accounts of the October 2012 bombing raid.
Media reports afterward confirmed a drone strike took place, but said missiles hit a house, with one version alleging a car was struck and several militants killed.
But the Rehmans said no building or car was directly hit in the attack, and that paved roads are some distance away. They say missiles landed in the field where their grandmother was teaching Nabila how to recognize when okra are ripe enough to pick.
After a loud boom, "where my grandmother was standing, I saw these two bright lights come down and hit her," said Nabila. "And everything became dark at that point."
She noticed blood on her hand and tried to wipe it away with her shawl. "But the blood just kept coming," she said.
Shrapnel lodged in her right hand and she was treated at a local hospital. Her brother, Zubair, suffered shrapnel wounds to his left leg, which required two operations. His family had to take out a loan to pay for the surgery.
Since the attack, Zubair said he has trouble sleeping and no longer goes outside to play cricket.
"I don't feel like going outside and playing with my friends. I don't feel like going to school. It's really destroyed my life," he said.
His sister said the US government's explanation for drone strikes did not apply to her family.
"When I hear that they are going after people who have done wrong to America, then what have I done wrong to them? What did my grandmother do wrong to them?
"I didn't do anything wrong," she said.
The Rehman family's experience features in a new documentary, "Unmanned: America's Drone Wars," which takes a critical view of the air strikes.
Monday 28 October 2013
Religious Violence and sectarianism condemned by Scholars
BODRUM(Turkey): To propagate tolerance,religious scholars and leaders from different political parities of Pakistan announced a joint signing of a declaration on condemning sectarianism in country and vowed to eradicate the cause of conflict from society, held in Turkey. We find common ground in affirming and agreed to come together to tackle religious intolerance in the interests of Muslim unity and condemn all forms of religious violence, said leaders of religious parties.
The 11-point UJN Pakistan Unity Declaration commits the signatories and the UJN to sign statements in the upcoming Islamic month of Muharram denouncing the killing of fellow human beings on the basis of colour,creed, ethnicity or religion as haram. The statements will also declare excommunication or takfir against fellow Muslims and abusing the Prophet Muhammad's family and companions to against Shariah. The accord is based on Charter 3:103, initiated by the Islamic Human Rights Commission in 1997 and also addresses the challenging problem of madrasas in Pakistan,believed to be a breeding ground of intolerance, recommending that syllabi and curriculums should address the need for respect, harmony and peace among all members of Pakistani society. The signing of the declaration is a determined step out of the quagmire of murder and fear that has come to characterise the landscape in Pakistan, said The Chair of IHRC Massoud Shadjareh. The event brings back hope that one day Pakistan can put the internecine strife of the current era behind it, said the co-ordinator UJN Mohideen Abdul Kader. The declaration was signed by Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza(Sunni Ittehad Council), Allama Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer of Jamiat Ahle Hadith , Allama Syed Niaz Hussain Shah of Hoza Ilmia Jamia Al Muntazar. Allama Mohammad Sadiq Qureshi (Minhaj ul Quran International), Maulana Syed Ali Murtaza Zaidi (Jamay Imamia), Liaqat Baloch,MP(Jamaat-e-Islami)and Muhammad Sarwat Ejaz Qadri(Pakistan Sunni Tahreek).
The 11-point UJN Pakistan Unity Declaration commits the signatories and the UJN to sign statements in the upcoming Islamic month of Muharram denouncing the killing of fellow human beings on the basis of colour,creed, ethnicity or religion as haram. The statements will also declare excommunication or takfir against fellow Muslims and abusing the Prophet Muhammad's family and companions to against Shariah. The accord is based on Charter 3:103, initiated by the Islamic Human Rights Commission in 1997 and also addresses the challenging problem of madrasas in Pakistan,believed to be a breeding ground of intolerance, recommending that syllabi and curriculums should address the need for respect, harmony and peace among all members of Pakistani society. The signing of the declaration is a determined step out of the quagmire of murder and fear that has come to characterise the landscape in Pakistan, said The Chair of IHRC Massoud Shadjareh. The event brings back hope that one day Pakistan can put the internecine strife of the current era behind it, said the co-ordinator UJN Mohideen Abdul Kader. The declaration was signed by Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza(Sunni Ittehad Council), Allama Ibtisam Elahi Zaheer of Jamiat Ahle Hadith , Allama Syed Niaz Hussain Shah of Hoza Ilmia Jamia Al Muntazar. Allama Mohammad Sadiq Qureshi (Minhaj ul Quran International), Maulana Syed Ali Murtaza Zaidi (Jamay Imamia), Liaqat Baloch,MP(Jamaat-e-Islami)and Muhammad Sarwat Ejaz Qadri(Pakistan Sunni Tahreek).
Sunday 27 October 2013
Blackberry not a strategic fit for us: SAP
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German business software group SAP is not interested in bidding for troubled smart phone maker Blackberry, its chief financial officer told a German magazine.
"Blackberry doesn't fit with our strategy," Werner Brandt told Euro am Sonntag in an interview, adding that SAP already offers mobile solutions and did not need to fill any gaps there.
BlackBerry, based in Canada, once dominated the smartphone market but has put itself up for sale after being overtaken by Apple's iPhone and devices using Google Inc's Android operating system.
There seems to be no shortage of interest in Blackberry. SAP, along with Cisco Systems Inc and Google, was in talks about a full or partial acquisition, sources close to the matter had previously told Reuters.
Its co-founders are also considering a bid, and a group led by property and casualty insurer Fairfax last month unveiled a tentative offer of $9 a share.
Former Apple Inc boss John Sculley and Chinese computer maker Lenovo have also been reported as interested in a deal for Blackberry.
"Blackberry doesn't fit with our strategy," Werner Brandt told Euro am Sonntag in an interview, adding that SAP already offers mobile solutions and did not need to fill any gaps there.
BlackBerry, based in Canada, once dominated the smartphone market but has put itself up for sale after being overtaken by Apple's iPhone and devices using Google Inc's Android operating system.
There seems to be no shortage of interest in Blackberry. SAP, along with Cisco Systems Inc and Google, was in talks about a full or partial acquisition, sources close to the matter had previously told Reuters.
Its co-founders are also considering a bid, and a group led by property and casualty insurer Fairfax last month unveiled a tentative offer of $9 a share.
Former Apple Inc boss John Sculley and Chinese computer maker Lenovo have also been reported as interested in a deal for Blackberry.
World currency turbulence hits company earnings
PARIS (AFP): Emerging markets have helped rake in a corporate earnings bonanza in recent years, but a sudden plunge in their currencies in mid-2013 due to an expected cut in US stimulus has sorely hit sales and profit.
Quarterly results at companies from Coca-Cola to IBM, Unilever to Casino and luxury group LVMH show that currency volatility has hit the bottom line.
"The 'emerging risk' is a source of concern in the first release of third quarter results," economists at broker Aurel BGC said.
The Brazilian real, South African rand, Turkish lira, Indian rupee and Indonesian rupiah lost up to a fifth of their value in August as investors pulled out funds in anticipation the US Federal Reserve would soon begin to taper the amount of monetary stimulus it injects into the economy.
"Across the range of firms missing revenue targets for the third quarter, one factor increasingly blamed is the impact of a higher euro," said CMC Markets trader Toby Morris.
"...Firms with an active client base in emerging economies are hit the hardest, with weaker currencies magnified in South America and India," he added in a note to clients.
The euro has not only risen sharply against emerging market currencies, it has also reached its highest levels since 2011 against the dollar due to disappointing economic data from the United States and the prospect of more monetary stimulus.
French electrical equipment group Schneider Electric warned the euro was over-valued and was hurting business.
"It's painfully evident that the eurozone is the only major economic zone that doesn't use its currency as an economic weapon and a weapon of competitiveness," Finance Director Emmanuel Babeau told AFP.
The Paris-based company, a world leader in electrical engineering said that currencies had depreciated sharply in markets where the company can make as much as a billion euros in sales.
"We find ourselves overvalued in relation to many currencies, including the dollar, that's very clear," he said.
Accordingly, the company said that organic sales growth would be stagnant instead of the moderate increase it had expected earlier.
Carmaker Renault had a similar story as sales fell 3.2 percent, even though registration of its vehicles increased by the same amount during the quarter.
"The depreciation of several emerging market currencies (Brazilian real, Russian ruble, Indian rupee, Argentinian peso) had an impact of 5.7 percentage points", or 439 million euros, on sales, said Sales and Marketing Director Jerome Stoll.
French supermarket group Casino, which has major operations in Brazil, said exchange rates had a negative 16.5 percentage point impact on overall sales in the period. Organic sales growth of 12.5 percent ended up as a 5.2 percent decline in sales in reported terms, the company said.
Even US companies have been affected.
At Coca-Cola, volumes increased by 3 percent but net revenue declined by 3 percent. Stripping out currency effects revenue would have increased by 4 percent in the quarter.
Coca-Cola chief executive Muhtar Kent described the results as solid given "an ongoing challenged macroeconomic environment driven by increasing volatility across emerging markets."
Quarterly results at companies from Coca-Cola to IBM, Unilever to Casino and luxury group LVMH show that currency volatility has hit the bottom line.
"The 'emerging risk' is a source of concern in the first release of third quarter results," economists at broker Aurel BGC said.
The Brazilian real, South African rand, Turkish lira, Indian rupee and Indonesian rupiah lost up to a fifth of their value in August as investors pulled out funds in anticipation the US Federal Reserve would soon begin to taper the amount of monetary stimulus it injects into the economy.
"Across the range of firms missing revenue targets for the third quarter, one factor increasingly blamed is the impact of a higher euro," said CMC Markets trader Toby Morris.
"...Firms with an active client base in emerging economies are hit the hardest, with weaker currencies magnified in South America and India," he added in a note to clients.
The euro has not only risen sharply against emerging market currencies, it has also reached its highest levels since 2011 against the dollar due to disappointing economic data from the United States and the prospect of more monetary stimulus.
French electrical equipment group Schneider Electric warned the euro was over-valued and was hurting business.
"It's painfully evident that the eurozone is the only major economic zone that doesn't use its currency as an economic weapon and a weapon of competitiveness," Finance Director Emmanuel Babeau told AFP.
The Paris-based company, a world leader in electrical engineering said that currencies had depreciated sharply in markets where the company can make as much as a billion euros in sales.
"We find ourselves overvalued in relation to many currencies, including the dollar, that's very clear," he said.
Accordingly, the company said that organic sales growth would be stagnant instead of the moderate increase it had expected earlier.
Carmaker Renault had a similar story as sales fell 3.2 percent, even though registration of its vehicles increased by the same amount during the quarter.
"The depreciation of several emerging market currencies (Brazilian real, Russian ruble, Indian rupee, Argentinian peso) had an impact of 5.7 percentage points", or 439 million euros, on sales, said Sales and Marketing Director Jerome Stoll.
French supermarket group Casino, which has major operations in Brazil, said exchange rates had a negative 16.5 percentage point impact on overall sales in the period. Organic sales growth of 12.5 percent ended up as a 5.2 percent decline in sales in reported terms, the company said.
Even US companies have been affected.
At Coca-Cola, volumes increased by 3 percent but net revenue declined by 3 percent. Stripping out currency effects revenue would have increased by 4 percent in the quarter.
Coca-Cola chief executive Muhtar Kent described the results as solid given "an ongoing challenged macroeconomic environment driven by increasing volatility across emerging markets."
A protest against occupation of Kashmir held in front of Indian Embassy in Holland
DENHAAG: Kashmir Council EU (KC-EU) and Kashmir Centre Holland held a protest demonstration in Holland against occupation of Kashmir by Indian forces for last six decades.
The protesters made an urgent appeal to the international community to come forward and ask India to grant the people of Kashmir their inalienable right of self-determination.
The protest was staged in front of Indian embassy in the city of Hague in Netherland on Sunday. The demonstration was held by the council with collaboration of Kashmir Centre Holland with collaboration of other organisations on the occasion of ‘Day of Occupation’ of Kashmir by the Indian forces.
Indian foreign occupation forces entered Kashmir on October 27th, 1947 and the Kashmiris of both parts of Indian Held (IHK) and Pakistan Administered (AJK) and based in other parts of the world observe the day as black day.
Leading the demonstration in Hague, Chairman Kashmir Council EU, Ali Raza Syed and Kashmir Centre Holland Executive Director Raja.Zeib Khan handed over a protest memorandum to the Indian Embassy’s officials.
The memorandum asked the India to withdraw its forces from the held Kashmir and allow the Kashmiris to decide freely about their political future.
The memorandum also demanded impartial investigation of thousands of unnamed mass graves discovered in IHK. If India is not presenting the culprits involved in the killing of the innocent people buried in the graves, the International community should pressurized India to present the responsible personnel.
Speakers at the demonstration said, India is a flagrant violator of international law, in particular reference to the mass graves, rapes, murder, forcible arrest of Kashmiri leaders, imprisonment, coercion and fear in the held Kashmir.
The protesters also gathered in front of Dutch parliament and called upon the international community to take serious notice of situation in Indian Held Kashmir (IHK).
On the mass graves in IHK, the demonstrators demanded the International community to despatch independent teams to investigate the issue.
The speakers of gathering reiterated that the people of Kashmir should be given neither more nor less a self-determination vote which should be conducted and monitored by the United Nations and international observers.
They said that peace in South Asia in general and Kashmir in particular is too important to be left to two rivals alone with their own self-interests guiding their management. The speakers urged both India and Pakistan to include the recognized leadership of Jammu & Kashmir in all future negotiations on the issue, emphasizing that with Kashmiri participation, anything is possible but without it, nothing is.
The demonstrators led by Kashmir Council EU Chairman Ali Raza Syed and Kashmir Centre Holland Chief Zeib Khan carrying placards chanted anti Indian slogans and called the international community to interfere to stop the large scale human rights violation in IHK.
The protesters made an urgent appeal to the international community to come forward and ask India to grant the people of Kashmir their inalienable right of self-determination.
The protest was staged in front of Indian embassy in the city of Hague in Netherland on Sunday. The demonstration was held by the council with collaboration of Kashmir Centre Holland with collaboration of other organisations on the occasion of ‘Day of Occupation’ of Kashmir by the Indian forces.
Indian foreign occupation forces entered Kashmir on October 27th, 1947 and the Kashmiris of both parts of Indian Held (IHK) and Pakistan Administered (AJK) and based in other parts of the world observe the day as black day.
Leading the demonstration in Hague, Chairman Kashmir Council EU, Ali Raza Syed and Kashmir Centre Holland Executive Director Raja.Zeib Khan handed over a protest memorandum to the Indian Embassy’s officials.
The memorandum asked the India to withdraw its forces from the held Kashmir and allow the Kashmiris to decide freely about their political future.
The memorandum also demanded impartial investigation of thousands of unnamed mass graves discovered in IHK. If India is not presenting the culprits involved in the killing of the innocent people buried in the graves, the International community should pressurized India to present the responsible personnel.
Speakers at the demonstration said, India is a flagrant violator of international law, in particular reference to the mass graves, rapes, murder, forcible arrest of Kashmiri leaders, imprisonment, coercion and fear in the held Kashmir.
The protesters also gathered in front of Dutch parliament and called upon the international community to take serious notice of situation in Indian Held Kashmir (IHK).
On the mass graves in IHK, the demonstrators demanded the International community to despatch independent teams to investigate the issue.
The speakers of gathering reiterated that the people of Kashmir should be given neither more nor less a self-determination vote which should be conducted and monitored by the United Nations and international observers.
They said that peace in South Asia in general and Kashmir in particular is too important to be left to two rivals alone with their own self-interests guiding their management. The speakers urged both India and Pakistan to include the recognized leadership of Jammu & Kashmir in all future negotiations on the issue, emphasizing that with Kashmiri participation, anything is possible but without it, nothing is.
The demonstrators led by Kashmir Council EU Chairman Ali Raza Syed and Kashmir Centre Holland Chief Zeib Khan carrying placards chanted anti Indian slogans and called the international community to interfere to stop the large scale human rights violation in IHK.
NYC police: 5 dead after Brooklyn stabbings
NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Police Department said early Sunday the ages of the victims ranged from 1 to 20. Police didn t immediately disclose the victims relationships to one another.
New York Fire Department spokesman Jim Long says emergency responders found three people dead at the scene. He says two others were taken to hospitals, where they were pronounced dead.
Police provided no further details and would not say if anyone was in custody.
New York Fire Department spokesman Jim Long says emergency responders found three people dead at the scene. He says two others were taken to hospitals, where they were pronounced dead.
Police provided no further details and would not say if anyone was in custody.
Friendship with SRK not same as before: Juhi Chawla
MUMBAI (Web Desk) - Actress Juhi Chawla feels her friendship with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is not the same as before, primarily due to the busy schedule of the superstar.
"Whose friendship is the same as ever before anyways! And we are very, very busy people and Shah Rukh Khan is all the more busy than anyone, so where we have time for friendships? But of course we are friends, no doubt," Juhi told PTI in an exclusive interview.
"Not just him, anybody from the industry; where do I meet anyone as such? It just doesn't happen. We are all running around doing our work," she said.
Juhi teamed up with Shah Rukh in several movies, including 'Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman', 'Darr', 'Duplicate', 'Yes Boss' among others and most of them were hit. She is ready to pair up with him again on-screen.
"Of course I would love to do a film with him. Anybody will be interested in doing a film with him. But how, when, where... all this, maybe you should ask him only," she said.
Shah Rukh and Juhi were considered one of the best on screen pair in Bollywood.
According to Juhi, the secret behind their chemistry was the brilliant films they were offered. "We did wonderful films, we had great directors, I had a wonderful time but all that is history now. But I am so glad that it is a very good history," she said.
The actress, who still looks stunning says she believes in keeping herself fit. "I do yoga, I have started doing pilates. And talking about the secret for beauty, I don't feel I am all that beautiful. But, I eat healthy food, have healthy thoughts," she said.
Juhi will be seen next in 'Gulaab Gang', which is loosely based on Uttar Pradesh-based Sampat Pal's 'Gulabi Gang', which works for women's betterment. The film features Madhuri Dixit in the main lead and Juhi in a negative role.
"Whose friendship is the same as ever before anyways! And we are very, very busy people and Shah Rukh Khan is all the more busy than anyone, so where we have time for friendships? But of course we are friends, no doubt," Juhi told PTI in an exclusive interview.
"Not just him, anybody from the industry; where do I meet anyone as such? It just doesn't happen. We are all running around doing our work," she said.
Juhi teamed up with Shah Rukh in several movies, including 'Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman', 'Darr', 'Duplicate', 'Yes Boss' among others and most of them were hit. She is ready to pair up with him again on-screen.
"Of course I would love to do a film with him. Anybody will be interested in doing a film with him. But how, when, where... all this, maybe you should ask him only," she said.
Shah Rukh and Juhi were considered one of the best on screen pair in Bollywood.
According to Juhi, the secret behind their chemistry was the brilliant films they were offered. "We did wonderful films, we had great directors, I had a wonderful time but all that is history now. But I am so glad that it is a very good history," she said.
The actress, who still looks stunning says she believes in keeping herself fit. "I do yoga, I have started doing pilates. And talking about the secret for beauty, I don't feel I am all that beautiful. But, I eat healthy food, have healthy thoughts," she said.
Juhi will be seen next in 'Gulaab Gang', which is loosely based on Uttar Pradesh-based Sampat Pal's 'Gulabi Gang', which works for women's betterment. The film features Madhuri Dixit in the main lead and Juhi in a negative role.
Media: Obama was directly informed of mobile tapping against Merkel
BERLIN (AFP) - US President Barack Obama was personally informed of mobile phone tapping against German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which may have begun as early as 2002, German media reported Sunday as a damaging espionage scandal widened.
Bild am Sonntag newspaper quoted US intelligence sources as saying that National Security Agency chief Keith Alexander had briefed Obama on the operation against Merkel in 2010.
"Obama did not halt the operation but rather let it continue," the newspaper quoted a high-ranking NSA official as saying.
News weekly Der Spiegel reported that leaked NSA documents showed that Merkel s phone had appeared on a list of spying targets since 2002, and was still under surveillance shortly before Obama visited Berlin in June.
As a sense of betrayal spread in many world capitals allegedly targeted by the NSA, the spying row prompted European leaders late last week to demand a new deal with Washington on intelligence gathering that would maintain an essential alliance while keeping the fight against terrorism on track.
Germany will send its own spy chiefs to Washington soon to demand answers.
Meanwhile, several thousand protesters gathered in Washington on Saturday to call for new US legislation to curb the NSA s activities and improve privacy.
Merkel confronted Obama with the snooping allegations in a phone call on Wednesday saying that such spying would be a "breach of trust" between international partners.
The suspicion also prompted Berlin to summon the US ambassador -- a highly unusual move between the close allies.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported that Obama had told Merkel during their call that he had been unaware of any spying against her. It did not cite its sources.
Der Spiegel said he told her that if he had been informed of the operation he would have stopped it at once.
Other media reports said that Obama s National Security Advisor Susan Rice had also told German officials the president knew nothing of the spying.
Merkel s office declined to comment on what Obama told her during their talk.
The White House has said it is not monitoring Merkel s phone calls and will not do so in future, but it has refused to say whether the United States has ever spied on her in the past.
Two phones monitored
====================
Bild am Sonntag said that Obama wanted to be informed in detail about Merkel, who has played a decisive role in the eurozone debt crisis and is widely seen as Europe s most powerful leader.
As a result, the report said, the NSA stepped up its surveillance of her communications, targeting not only the mobile phone she uses to conduct business for her conservative Christian Democratic Union party but also her encrypted official device.
It said US intelligence specialists were then able to monitor the content of her conversations as well as text messages, which Merkel sends by the dozen each day to key associates.
Bild said only the specially secured land line in her office was out of the reach of US spies.
The intelligence gathered was forwarded straight to the White House, without bypassing the NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland, according to the report.
Bild and Spiegel described a hive of spy activity on the fourth floor of the US embassy in central Berlin, a stone s throw from the government quarter, from which the United States kept tabs on Merkel and other German officials.
If the spying against Merkel began as early as 2002, it would mean the United States under then president George W. Bush targeted her while she was still the country s chief opposition leader, three years before she became chancellor.
Bild said that Merkel s predecessor Gerhard Schroeder was also in the NSA s sights because of his vocal opposition to the US invasion of Iraq.
Bush was also mistrustful of the Social Democrat because of his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the report added.
As anger simmered in Berlin over the alleged NSA action, Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich sharpened his tone against Washington.
"Surveillance is a crime and those responsible must be brought to justice," he told Bild am Sonntag.
A poll for the newspaper found that 76 percent of Germans believe Obama should apologise for the alleged spying on Merkel, and 60 percent said the scandal had damaged or badly damaged German-US ties.
Bild am Sonntag newspaper quoted US intelligence sources as saying that National Security Agency chief Keith Alexander had briefed Obama on the operation against Merkel in 2010.
"Obama did not halt the operation but rather let it continue," the newspaper quoted a high-ranking NSA official as saying.
News weekly Der Spiegel reported that leaked NSA documents showed that Merkel s phone had appeared on a list of spying targets since 2002, and was still under surveillance shortly before Obama visited Berlin in June.
As a sense of betrayal spread in many world capitals allegedly targeted by the NSA, the spying row prompted European leaders late last week to demand a new deal with Washington on intelligence gathering that would maintain an essential alliance while keeping the fight against terrorism on track.
Germany will send its own spy chiefs to Washington soon to demand answers.
Meanwhile, several thousand protesters gathered in Washington on Saturday to call for new US legislation to curb the NSA s activities and improve privacy.
Merkel confronted Obama with the snooping allegations in a phone call on Wednesday saying that such spying would be a "breach of trust" between international partners.
The suspicion also prompted Berlin to summon the US ambassador -- a highly unusual move between the close allies.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported that Obama had told Merkel during their call that he had been unaware of any spying against her. It did not cite its sources.
Der Spiegel said he told her that if he had been informed of the operation he would have stopped it at once.
Other media reports said that Obama s National Security Advisor Susan Rice had also told German officials the president knew nothing of the spying.
Merkel s office declined to comment on what Obama told her during their talk.
The White House has said it is not monitoring Merkel s phone calls and will not do so in future, but it has refused to say whether the United States has ever spied on her in the past.
Two phones monitored
====================
Bild am Sonntag said that Obama wanted to be informed in detail about Merkel, who has played a decisive role in the eurozone debt crisis and is widely seen as Europe s most powerful leader.
As a result, the report said, the NSA stepped up its surveillance of her communications, targeting not only the mobile phone she uses to conduct business for her conservative Christian Democratic Union party but also her encrypted official device.
It said US intelligence specialists were then able to monitor the content of her conversations as well as text messages, which Merkel sends by the dozen each day to key associates.
Bild said only the specially secured land line in her office was out of the reach of US spies.
The intelligence gathered was forwarded straight to the White House, without bypassing the NSA headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland, according to the report.
Bild and Spiegel described a hive of spy activity on the fourth floor of the US embassy in central Berlin, a stone s throw from the government quarter, from which the United States kept tabs on Merkel and other German officials.
If the spying against Merkel began as early as 2002, it would mean the United States under then president George W. Bush targeted her while she was still the country s chief opposition leader, three years before she became chancellor.
Bild said that Merkel s predecessor Gerhard Schroeder was also in the NSA s sights because of his vocal opposition to the US invasion of Iraq.
Bush was also mistrustful of the Social Democrat because of his close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the report added.
As anger simmered in Berlin over the alleged NSA action, Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich sharpened his tone against Washington.
"Surveillance is a crime and those responsible must be brought to justice," he told Bild am Sonntag.
A poll for the newspaper found that 76 percent of Germans believe Obama should apologise for the alleged spying on Merkel, and 60 percent said the scandal had damaged or badly damaged German-US ties.
'Peace talks with Syrian regime equal to betrayal'
DAMASCUS (AFP) - Powerful armed groups in Syria said attending peace talks or negotiating with the regime would be an act of betrayal, as fighting raged on Sunday near Iraq and in Homs.
The joint declaration by the 19 Islamist groups fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad cast further doubt on whether the long-delayed peace talks dubbed "Geneva 2" will actually go ahead.
It also comes as the UN-Arab League peace envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, prepares to travel to Damascus on Monday, according to pro-regime newspaper Al-Watan.
"We announce that the Geneva 2 conference is not, nor will it ever be our people s choice or our revolution s demand," the groups said in a statement read out by Suqur al-Sham brigade chief Ahmad Eissa al-Sheikh in a video posted online.
"We consider it just another part of the conspiracy to throw our revolution off track and to abort it."
The 19 rebel groups warned that anyone who went to such talks would be committing "treason, and ... would have to answer for it before our courts".
The statement comes weeks after dozens of major insurgent groups across Syria said the Western-backed opposition umbrella grouping, the National Coalition, had "failed".
The Geneva talks slated for next month aim to bring rebel and regime representatives to the table in a bid to seek a negotiated end to the Syrian conflict, which is estimated to have killed more than 115,000 people since it erupted in March 2011.
The National Coalition is to meet on November 9 to decide whether to take part in the peace talks but has stated emphatically it will only attend if there are guarantees Assad will step down.
Its leader Ahmad Jarba also said this week that no talks can take place unless women and children held in regime jails are freed.
Assad for his part has said "the factors are not yet in place" for such talks, and he has repeatedly rejected negotiations with any group with ties to the rebels or to foreign states.
The joint declaration by the 19 Islamist groups fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad cast further doubt on whether the long-delayed peace talks dubbed "Geneva 2" will actually go ahead.
It also comes as the UN-Arab League peace envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, prepares to travel to Damascus on Monday, according to pro-regime newspaper Al-Watan.
"We announce that the Geneva 2 conference is not, nor will it ever be our people s choice or our revolution s demand," the groups said in a statement read out by Suqur al-Sham brigade chief Ahmad Eissa al-Sheikh in a video posted online.
"We consider it just another part of the conspiracy to throw our revolution off track and to abort it."
The 19 rebel groups warned that anyone who went to such talks would be committing "treason, and ... would have to answer for it before our courts".
The statement comes weeks after dozens of major insurgent groups across Syria said the Western-backed opposition umbrella grouping, the National Coalition, had "failed".
The Geneva talks slated for next month aim to bring rebel and regime representatives to the table in a bid to seek a negotiated end to the Syrian conflict, which is estimated to have killed more than 115,000 people since it erupted in March 2011.
The National Coalition is to meet on November 9 to decide whether to take part in the peace talks but has stated emphatically it will only attend if there are guarantees Assad will step down.
Its leader Ahmad Jarba also said this week that no talks can take place unless women and children held in regime jails are freed.
Assad for his part has said "the factors are not yet in place" for such talks, and he has repeatedly rejected negotiations with any group with ties to the rebels or to foreign states.
French disabled person skydive over Mount Everest
KATHMANDU (AFP) - A French multiple sclerosis sufferer Sunday became the first disabled person to skydive over Mount Everest, successfully completing his landing before being taken to hospital as a precaution.
"I feel very happy. I am exhausted but very happy," Marc Kopp said from a hospital bed in Kathmandu where doctors examined him for any injuries sustained during the jump.
The 55-year-old Kopp, who lives in Longwy northeast of Paris, has suffered for more than a decade from multiple sclerosis, the degenerative disease of the nervous system which disrupts the brain s ability to communicate with the body.
Muscles weaken, lesions emerge on the brain and spinal cord and in the worst cases, patients can lose the ability to speak or walk.
The tandem skydive saw Kopp jump out of a helicopter hovering 10,000 metres (32,800 feet) above the mountain, accompanied by his friend, champion skydiver Mario Gervasi.
"I hope my action will inspire others living with this illness. I hope many more will follow in my footsteps," Kopp told AFP.
He said preparation for the jump was "very painful" and left his whole body hurting.
Although he usually uses a wheelchair, the trek through the Himalayas meant he had to spend several hours a day riding a horse, which was hard on his spine, to reach the airstrip for the jump.
"There were many times in the last few days when I thought I wouldn t be able to realise my dream," he said.
Kopp raised 26,000 euros ($35,885) for the trip from friends and well-wishers.
After completing the jump Sunday morning, he returned to Kathmandu by helicopter, where doctors advised him to rest for a day.
Kopp was diagnosed in 2001 with primary progressive multiple sclerosis, a form of the disease with almost no prospect of remission.
He currently volunteers and runs a support group for fellow sufferers.
"I feel very happy. I am exhausted but very happy," Marc Kopp said from a hospital bed in Kathmandu where doctors examined him for any injuries sustained during the jump.
The 55-year-old Kopp, who lives in Longwy northeast of Paris, has suffered for more than a decade from multiple sclerosis, the degenerative disease of the nervous system which disrupts the brain s ability to communicate with the body.
Muscles weaken, lesions emerge on the brain and spinal cord and in the worst cases, patients can lose the ability to speak or walk.
The tandem skydive saw Kopp jump out of a helicopter hovering 10,000 metres (32,800 feet) above the mountain, accompanied by his friend, champion skydiver Mario Gervasi.
"I hope my action will inspire others living with this illness. I hope many more will follow in my footsteps," Kopp told AFP.
He said preparation for the jump was "very painful" and left his whole body hurting.
Although he usually uses a wheelchair, the trek through the Himalayas meant he had to spend several hours a day riding a horse, which was hard on his spine, to reach the airstrip for the jump.
"There were many times in the last few days when I thought I wouldn t be able to realise my dream," he said.
Kopp raised 26,000 euros ($35,885) for the trip from friends and well-wishers.
After completing the jump Sunday morning, he returned to Kathmandu by helicopter, where doctors advised him to rest for a day.
Kopp was diagnosed in 2001 with primary progressive multiple sclerosis, a form of the disease with almost no prospect of remission.
He currently volunteers and runs a support group for fellow sufferers.
Iran will never shut down Fordo nuclear plant: Law maker
TEHRAN (AFP) - A prominent Iranian lawmaker said on Sunday Iran would never agree to shut down its Fordo underground nuclear enrichment facility as demanded by world powers, Mehr news agency reported.
"It is possible that they set some conditions such as shutting down Fordo, which definitely will not happen," Mehr quoted Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of the parliament s foreign policy committee, as saying.
Fordo, with nearly 3,000 centrifuges and dug deep into a mountain near the holy city of Qom, some 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of Tehran, is at the heart of international concerns over Iran s nuclear drive.
The site, whose existence was revealed in 2009, began in late 2011 to enrich uranium to purities of 20 percent, a few technical steps away from the 90-percent level needed for a nuclear weapon.
Iran says it is enriching to this level to provide fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor, which produces medical isotopes, and denies seeking or ever having sought nuclear weapons.
Closing Fordo or limiting enrichment activities has been a key demand by six world powers -- permanent UN Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- in negotiations with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme.
In return, the powers are offering to ease some sanctions against the Islamic republic, such as those imposed on trade in gold and on the petrochemical sector.
Iran and the P5+1 resumed talks mid-October in Geneva during which Tehran presented a new proposal that its chief nuclear negotiator Abbass Araqchi said could settle the dispute "within a year".
Experts from both sides are to meet at the end of this week in Vienna to prepare for the next round of talks, in Geneva on November 7-8.
Israel and to a lesser degree the US have refused to rule out military action against Iran should it continue its nuclear enrichment programme.
However, Boroujerdi warned against any military action, saying Iran was prepared to deter any foreign attack.
"We have created the conditions for America and the Zionist regime in a way that they will never think of attacking our nuclear sites. Our missiles are a deterrent ... but Fordo is one of our red lines," he said, without elaborating.
Some experts warn that Iran next year may reach "critical capacity" -- the point at which it could, in theory, process enough weapons-grade uranium for a bomb before being detected.
But since becoming president in August, Hassan Rouhani, seen as a relative moderate, has raised hopes that the long-running crisis can be resolved and threats of military action silenced for good.
"It is possible that they set some conditions such as shutting down Fordo, which definitely will not happen," Mehr quoted Alaeddin Boroujerdi, head of the parliament s foreign policy committee, as saying.
Fordo, with nearly 3,000 centrifuges and dug deep into a mountain near the holy city of Qom, some 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of Tehran, is at the heart of international concerns over Iran s nuclear drive.
The site, whose existence was revealed in 2009, began in late 2011 to enrich uranium to purities of 20 percent, a few technical steps away from the 90-percent level needed for a nuclear weapon.
Iran says it is enriching to this level to provide fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor, which produces medical isotopes, and denies seeking or ever having sought nuclear weapons.
Closing Fordo or limiting enrichment activities has been a key demand by six world powers -- permanent UN Security Council members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany -- in negotiations with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme.
In return, the powers are offering to ease some sanctions against the Islamic republic, such as those imposed on trade in gold and on the petrochemical sector.
Iran and the P5+1 resumed talks mid-October in Geneva during which Tehran presented a new proposal that its chief nuclear negotiator Abbass Araqchi said could settle the dispute "within a year".
Experts from both sides are to meet at the end of this week in Vienna to prepare for the next round of talks, in Geneva on November 7-8.
Israel and to a lesser degree the US have refused to rule out military action against Iran should it continue its nuclear enrichment programme.
However, Boroujerdi warned against any military action, saying Iran was prepared to deter any foreign attack.
"We have created the conditions for America and the Zionist regime in a way that they will never think of attacking our nuclear sites. Our missiles are a deterrent ... but Fordo is one of our red lines," he said, without elaborating.
Some experts warn that Iran next year may reach "critical capacity" -- the point at which it could, in theory, process enough weapons-grade uranium for a bomb before being detected.
But since becoming president in August, Hassan Rouhani, seen as a relative moderate, has raised hopes that the long-running crisis can be resolved and threats of military action silenced for good.
Roadside bomb kills 18 Afghans
KABUL: A roadside bomb killed 18 civilians Sunday, mostly women and children, after it struck a small bus coming from a wedding in a lawless district of eastern Afghanistan’s Ghazni province, police said.
Deputy provincial police chief Col. Asadullah Ensafi said the blast occurred in the Andar district as the bus traveled from one village to another just before dusk.
He said the dead include 14 women, three men and a child. Ensafi said the blast wounded five women and two were in critical condition.
Ensafi said he had no other details, as the remote area was not easily accessible to security forces.
Andar is one of the few districts in Ghazni where the Taleban retain some measure of control and often attack security forces, mostly by laying bombs along roads.
Deputy provincial police chief Col. Asadullah Ensafi said the blast occurred in the Andar district as the bus traveled from one village to another just before dusk.
He said the dead include 14 women, three men and a child. Ensafi said the blast wounded five women and two were in critical condition.
Ensafi said he had no other details, as the remote area was not easily accessible to security forces.
Andar is one of the few districts in Ghazni where the Taleban retain some measure of control and often attack security forces, mostly by laying bombs along roads.
Roadside bomb kills 18 in Afghanistan
GHAZNI (AFP) - A roadside bomb on Sunday killed at least 18 civilians, mostly women, as they travelled by minibus to a wedding party in a volatile area of central Afghanistan, officials said.
The interior ministry said the blast occurred in Andar district of Ghazni province, where Taliban insurgents have a strong presence.
"The bomb hit a minibus civilian vehicle today at 4:30pm that was heading to attend a wedding party," a statement from the ministry said.
"In the attack, 14 women, three men and a child were martyred and five others were wounded... the ministry strongly condemns this brutal attack of the enemies of Afghanistan."
"Enemies of Afghanistan" is phrase used by Afghan officials to refer to the Taliban militia and other armed groups fighting against the US-backed Kabul government.
Mosa Khan Akbarzada, Ghazni provincial governor, confirmed the death toll to AFP, describing the attack as a "tragic incident".
He said no other details were immediately available from the area.
Roadside bombs are often planted by Taliban militants to target Afghan security forces and US-led NATO troops, but they often miss their intended targets and kill civilians.
There was no immediate comment from the Taliban, which normally denies involvement in attacks that cause civilian casualties.
Sunday s attack came as the Afghan government seeks a negotiated settlement ending the 12-year war, though any peace deal appears far off.
A presidential election is scheduled in April and the last of the 87,000 NATO combat troops deployed in Afghanistan will leave by December 2014, triggering fears that the country could face spiralling turmoil.
The Afghan military has been built from scratch since 2001 to thwart the Taliban, but it has struggled with high casualty rates, "insider attack" killings, mass desertions and equipment shortages.
On Saturday, an Afghan soldier shot and injured two NATO troops before being killed in a dispute at a flagship officer-training academy near Kabul that only opened a week ago.
As Afghan security forces take charge of security countrywide, violence has been on the increase.
More than 1,000 civilians were killed and around 2,000 others were injured in the first half of 2013, according to a UN report, a 23 percent increase from the same period last year.
In a bid to help foster peace efforts, President Hamid Karzai will meet with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in London this week.
Pakistan was a key backer of the hardline 1996-2001 Taliban regime in Kabul and is believed to shelter some of the movement s top leaders.
The interior ministry said the blast occurred in Andar district of Ghazni province, where Taliban insurgents have a strong presence.
"The bomb hit a minibus civilian vehicle today at 4:30pm that was heading to attend a wedding party," a statement from the ministry said.
"In the attack, 14 women, three men and a child were martyred and five others were wounded... the ministry strongly condemns this brutal attack of the enemies of Afghanistan."
"Enemies of Afghanistan" is phrase used by Afghan officials to refer to the Taliban militia and other armed groups fighting against the US-backed Kabul government.
Mosa Khan Akbarzada, Ghazni provincial governor, confirmed the death toll to AFP, describing the attack as a "tragic incident".
He said no other details were immediately available from the area.
Roadside bombs are often planted by Taliban militants to target Afghan security forces and US-led NATO troops, but they often miss their intended targets and kill civilians.
There was no immediate comment from the Taliban, which normally denies involvement in attacks that cause civilian casualties.
Sunday s attack came as the Afghan government seeks a negotiated settlement ending the 12-year war, though any peace deal appears far off.
A presidential election is scheduled in April and the last of the 87,000 NATO combat troops deployed in Afghanistan will leave by December 2014, triggering fears that the country could face spiralling turmoil.
The Afghan military has been built from scratch since 2001 to thwart the Taliban, but it has struggled with high casualty rates, "insider attack" killings, mass desertions and equipment shortages.
On Saturday, an Afghan soldier shot and injured two NATO troops before being killed in a dispute at a flagship officer-training academy near Kabul that only opened a week ago.
As Afghan security forces take charge of security countrywide, violence has been on the increase.
More than 1,000 civilians were killed and around 2,000 others were injured in the first half of 2013, according to a UN report, a 23 percent increase from the same period last year.
In a bid to help foster peace efforts, President Hamid Karzai will meet with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in London this week.
Pakistan was a key backer of the hardline 1996-2001 Taliban regime in Kabul and is believed to shelter some of the movement s top leaders.
Army Chief to visit China on Oct 28
ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani will pay a three-day visit to China from Monday.
He will hold talks with Chinese military leadership for the promotion of defence cooperation.
Bilateral strategic relations between the two countries would be reviewed during visit of the Army Chief, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Asim Saleem Bajwa issued a statement on Twitter.
He will hold talks with Chinese military leadership for the promotion of defence cooperation.
Bilateral strategic relations between the two countries would be reviewed during visit of the Army Chief, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Asim Saleem Bajwa issued a statement on Twitter.
Kashmir issue must be resolved as per UN resolutions: minister
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Kashmir Affairs Chaudhry Barjees Tahir has said that Kashmir issue must be resolved according to UN resolutions.
In a statement on the occasion of Black Day against Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir‚ he said the United States must play its role in solution of the issue.
He said the Indian forces are continuing atrocities against Kashmir people while the international human rights organizations are keeping mum over these atrocities.
Barjees Tahir said India must give the right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir.
In a statement on the occasion of Black Day against Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir‚ he said the United States must play its role in solution of the issue.
He said the Indian forces are continuing atrocities against Kashmir people while the international human rights organizations are keeping mum over these atrocities.
Barjees Tahir said India must give the right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir.
Saudi women fined for defying driving ban
At least 16 Saudi women have received fines for taking the wheel on a day set by campaigners to defy the kingdom’s traditional ban on female driving, police and reports said on Sunday.
Only few women braved official threats of punishment and drove on Saturday in response to an online campaign headlined “Women’s driving is a choice.”
“Police stopped six women driving in Riyadh, and fined them $80 each,” said the capital’s police deputy spokesman, Colonel Fawaz Al Miman.
Each of the women, along with her male guardian — who could be a father, husband, brother, uncle, or grandson — had to “sign a pledge to respect the kingdom’s laws,” Miman said.
In Jeddah, police also fined two women for driving, according to the Red Sea city’s police spokesman, Nawaf Al Bouq.
Saudi newspapers, meanwhile, reported that six women were stopped by police in Eastern Province, and at least two others were stopped in other parts of the kingdom.
A dozen Saudi women posted videos on the Twitter account of the campaign, @oct26driving, showing themselves driving.
The campaigners had originally issued a call on social media networks for women across the kingdom to drive their cars on Saturday to challenge and defy the ban. Some say they received telephone calls from the interior ministry asking them to promise they would not drive on Saturday.
On Wednesday, the ministry said it would act against anyone who attempts to “disturb public peace” by congregating or marching “under the pretext of an alleged day of female driving.”
The next day ministry spokesman General Mansur Al Turki told AFP: “It is known that women in Saudi are banned from driving and laws will be applied against violators and those who demonstrate in support” of this cause. (AFP)
Only few women braved official threats of punishment and drove on Saturday in response to an online campaign headlined “Women’s driving is a choice.”
“Police stopped six women driving in Riyadh, and fined them $80 each,” said the capital’s police deputy spokesman, Colonel Fawaz Al Miman.
Each of the women, along with her male guardian — who could be a father, husband, brother, uncle, or grandson — had to “sign a pledge to respect the kingdom’s laws,” Miman said.
In Jeddah, police also fined two women for driving, according to the Red Sea city’s police spokesman, Nawaf Al Bouq.
Saudi newspapers, meanwhile, reported that six women were stopped by police in Eastern Province, and at least two others were stopped in other parts of the kingdom.
A dozen Saudi women posted videos on the Twitter account of the campaign, @oct26driving, showing themselves driving.
The campaigners had originally issued a call on social media networks for women across the kingdom to drive their cars on Saturday to challenge and defy the ban. Some say they received telephone calls from the interior ministry asking them to promise they would not drive on Saturday.
On Wednesday, the ministry said it would act against anyone who attempts to “disturb public peace” by congregating or marching “under the pretext of an alleged day of female driving.”
The next day ministry spokesman General Mansur Al Turki told AFP: “It is known that women in Saudi are banned from driving and laws will be applied against violators and those who demonstrate in support” of this cause. (AFP)
Gulf allies losing faith in the US
By Abdullah Al Shayji
Last week was a week to remember in the testy relationship between the Gulf states and the US. I was in Washington and witnessed the drama unfold live; something is amiss nowadays, between the US and its allies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
We see a non-committal, wavering, fatigued US. A dysfunctional and stalemated Washington, which is worrying its allies, not only over security and strategic issues, but even financially, since most of US allies’ sovereign wealth funds are being invested in US Treasury Bills and stocks.
For instance, most of the GCC assets, including the Saudi central bank’s net foreign assets of $690 billion (Dh2.53 trillion) are thought to be denominated in dollars, much of them in US Treasury bonds.
We see unprecedented anger and chastising of Washington by some of its long time staunch and reliable allies. For the first time, in years the dispute and differences with Washington are out in the open. Adjectives describing the US policy in the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf like ‘weak’, ‘wavering’, ‘dithering’, ‘naïve’ and ‘unreliable’ have become the norm.
At the 22nd NCUSAR (National Council of US-Arab Relations) meeting, held on October 22-23, the huge gathering listened with shock and admiration to the pointed criticism and chastising of US policy over a host of issues by Prince Turki Al Faisal, the former intelligence chief and former Saudi ambassador to the US and UK.
Prince Turki expressed doubts that Obama would succeed in what he called an “open arms approach” to Iran. Obama is doing this much to the ire of the Saudis, even though the US administration is clearly aware of the Iranian policy of meddling and fomenting troubles, and inciting sectarianism in Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Bahrain, thus undermining the US allies and their interests.
Even though US Secretary of State John Kerry tried to allay the fears of the Saudis at a meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal in Paris last week, insisting that “no deal with Iran was better than a bad deal”. Assuring, he said, “I have great confidence that the United States and Saudi Arabia will continue to be the close and important friends and allies that we have been,” But that apparently did not assuage the Saudis who seem to be the most hawkish in their views in critiquing US policy in the Middle East and the Gulf.
The Saudis showed unusual public displeasure. Al Faisal cancelled the Saudi speech at the UN General Assembly and as an even bolder measure, the Saudis, to the surprise of everyone, turned down the highly coveted non-permanent membership for the next two years in the United Nations Security Council. It was done to protest the ineffectiveness of the UN in solving the Middle East crises and the double standards of the international community led by the P5.
Prince Turki was critical of the US policy in the Middle East, accusing the Obama administration of “dithering” on Syria and Israel-Palestinian peace. Prince Turki did not expect a breakthrough over the charm offensive and “open arm” approach with Iran. “We, Saudis observe Obama’s efforts in this regard. The road ahead is arduous...Whether [Iranian President] Hassan Rouhani will succeed in steering Iran toward sensible policies is already contested in Iran. The forces of darkness in Qom and Tehran are well entrenched,” he said.
While the current head of the Saudi intelligence and former Saudi ambassador to the US Prince Bandar Bin Sultan doubled up on the US threatening a shift in the Saudi relations with the US. “Prince Bandar told diplomats that he plans to limit interaction with the US,” a source close to Saudi authorities said.
“This happens after the US failed to take any effective action on Syria and Palestine. Relations with the US have been deteriorating for a while, as Saudi feels that the US is growing closer with Iran and the US also failed to support Saudi Arabia policy over Bahrain.
“There would be no further coordination with the United States over the war in Syria, where the Saudis have armed and financed rebel groups fighting Bashar Al Assad. The kingdom has informed the US of its actions in Syria, and diplomats say it has respected US requests not to supply the groups with advanced weaponry that the West fears could fall into the hands of Al Qaida-aligned groups.”
Clearly things are not all well today between the US and its Saudis allies and to some degrees the other GCC states that have been following with concerns and worries, the United States’ hands off, smaller footprint approach and its retrenchment from the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf. There are more questions and demands and less assurances and consoling from Washington.
The cracking up of these close knit strategic relations between the US and the GCC states needs to be looked at and addressed through the wider geostrategic context that has been bedevilling the region.
The Saudi chagrin and letting off steam is indicative to how the relationship between the US and the kingdom is drifting not only over Iran’s overtures and charm offensive, which came on top the disagreement and friction over the Arab-Israeli conflict, Syria, Egypt, Bahrain and Yemen. Where the GCC allies see their patron, the US is not inclined to understand, support and accommodate their stands.
Is the relationship reaching a tipping point between the two sides? Far from it, but it is worrying and I needed to remind everyone, that the relationship between Saudi Arabia mainly and the rest of the GCC states have endured a lot of its ups and down in thin and thick.
The equation from the GCC view point at this stage, especially over Iran and Syria is being viewed as a zero sum game, shutting out the GCC completely from consultations or taking their concerns and worries as a factor in US policy towards the region.
The GCC would like to see a nuanced and holistic approach that addresses the gambit of issues and not just the nuclear programme. It would like to see a more rational Iran that is at peace and has reconciled with its neighbours the disagreements and practices good neighbourly relations in the new architecture that would emerge in the new Middle East and the Gulf. What it does not want is Iran returning to be the Policeman of the Gulf through a grand bargain.
The widening trust deficit today between the GCC states and the US over all these divergent issues is harming and hurting the relationship between the two partners.
Clearly, there is a widening rift with Washington from the GCC perspective, but let me end by pointing out that we are not yet talking about separation, breaking up, divorce, let alone taking a second wife or at least at this stage. But there is an urgent need by the Americans to be more receptive, accommodating and listen to their angry and worried partners.
(Professor Abdullah Al Shayji is the Chairman of the Political Science Department - Kuwait University. He is a specialist in Gulf and US Politics).
The Puppet Comes to Life by Akbar Sher Babar
The statement of the ‘Kat Putlee Wazir-e-Ala’ of KPK to stop NATO supplies if the US does not end drone strikes has made headlines. Besides creating a political stir, the news value of the statement seriously downgraded the media coverage of the supposedly mega media event organized by the PTI Chairman Imran Khan on the launching of a documentary on drone strikes the same day. Most would recall that just before the March 2013 Lahore Jalsa, a rally in Islamabad and subsequently the peace march to South Waziristan was organized for the dual purpose of highlighting the drone issue as well to facilitate shooting of the documentary.There are many myths propagated by the propagandists of war about the continuing drone strikes. The argument that takes the cake is that Pakistan is helpless to stop drone strikes as it cannot match the US power if it decides to shoot down the drones. Unlike in Pakistan, the US system of government is not run on ‘verbal instructions or understandings.’ The drone strikes are part of a ‘covert operation’ duly authorized in writing by the U.S. President with the tacit approval of those that govern Pakistan who have always remained above any law. If the Pakistan government officially communicates to the U.S. government that any more drone strikes would be considered an act of war, the U.S. government would have two options; (1) to stop drone strikes and employ diplomatic, economic, and political arm twisting measures to force Pakistan’s hand on the issue or (2) declare war against Pakistan through an act of Congress. The likelihood of the US declaring war against Pakistan for not allowing drone strikes at this time of history is next to zero for a long list of reasons that need no elaboration.
All the internationally recognized political, moral, humanitarian, and legal arguments are in favor of those that oppose drone strikes including the argument that it evokes revengeful terror attacks in Pakistan. However, more and more, the issue of drone strikes is being politicized to gain political mileage instead of seriously addressing it. Nawaz Sharif because of his election rhetoric was forced to publicly raise the drone issue during his recent visit to the U.S. An effort upstaged by the release of secret documents to the US media on Pakistan’s collaboration in facilitating at least some drone strikes.
While the PTI remains the original and the lead political opponent of the drone strikes, but increasingly it appears treading the path of using it to gain political mileage. For example, the drone strikes require an elaborate human infrastructure on the ground without which the drones become merely eyes looking for random targets. The human infrastructure that supports the U.S. covert operations in Pakistan is partially documented in the Abbottabad Commission Report. In an article titled 'Servitude and leadership' published in ‘the News’ dated July 12, 2013, the PTI Central Information Secretary, writing in her official capacity, expressed concerns about 'deep inroads made by the US government and foreign NGOs into both government and state institutions.' She termed the Abbottabad Commission report a 'wake-up call for the state to begin institutional restructuring and contain US and foreign NGO operations in Pakistan.' She also blamed the dependency syndrome in our 'political and military leadership that had become weak in the face of the lure of dollars.'
The ‘news post’ section of the same newspaper published a letter by ASB dated July 15, 2013 which stated that quote now that the PTI is in power in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and hopefully its leadership free from the 'lure of dollars', could Dr. Mazari, as the spokesperson of the party, clarify: how many foreign funded NGOs have been asked to wind up their operations and close their offices in KPK as part of the PTI policy to 'contain US and foreign NGOs operations in Pakistan'? How many USAID, DFID, and other donor-funded programmes have been closed in KP to live up to the PTI's electoral commitment of refusing aid? Lastly, is it true that the US and other foreign-funded NGOs identified in the Abbottabad Commission continue to perform in KP unquote? Obviously evoking no response, I am posting a picture extracted from the official website of the CM, KPK showing him meeting a delegation of the same NGO identified in the Abbottabad Commission report. The picture, as they say, speaks a thousand words and graphically separates political rhetoric from policy.
Besides taking the media limelight away from the Chairman’s event on the same issue the same day, the statement of the CM KPK would be challenged by political opponents on constitutional and political grounds. Constitutionally, key communication channels and foreign policy remain a federal subject. Politically, the statement may be challenged by opponents on the grounds that by creating a political deadlock, the PTI may be attempting to sidetrack focus from its lukewarm performance and possibly extricate itself from the KPK government on a political high.
All in all, the statement to stop NATO supplies if the US does not end the drone strikes has put life in a ‘puppet’ by outshining the ‘puppeteer’ whose penchant to remain center stage has been upstaged for the first time by one of his own creation.
Thursday 24 October 2013
SA reach 460 -4 as Smith scores unbeaten 227
DUBAI (AFP) - South Africa reached 460-4 at close on the second day of the second and final Test in Dubai on Thursday.
Opener Graeme Smith was unbeaten on 227 for his 27th Test hundred and AB de Villiers on 157 not out at stumps as South Africa extended their lead to 361 runs with six wickets intact.
The pair has so far added 326 for an unbroken fifth wicket stand -- an all time South African record for this wicket in Tests.
Pakistan were bowled out for 99 in their first innings.
Pakistan lead the two-match series 1-0 after winning last week s first Test by seven wickets in Abu Dhabi.
Scoreboard at close on the second day of the second and final Test between Pakistan and South Africa at Dubai cricket stadium on Thursday:
Pakistan 1st innings 99 (Zulfiqar Babar 25; Imran Tahir 5-32, D. Steyn 3-38)
South Africa Ist innings
A. Petersen lbw b Babar 26
G. Smith not out 227
D. Elgar c Ali b Ajmal 23
J. Kallis lbw b Ajmal 7
D. Steyn b Irfan 7
AB de Villiers not out 157
Extras: (b4, lb7, w2) 13
Total: (for four wkts; 134 overs) 460
Fall of wickets: 1-37 (Petersen), 2-91 (Elgar), 3-119 (Kallis), 4-134 (Steyn)
Bowling: Irfan 27-4-84-1 (w1), Khan 27-2-99-0 (w1), Ajmal 43.4-5-132-2, Babar 31.2-2-112-1, Ali 5-0-22-0
Toss: Pakistan
Umpires: Rod Tucker (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG)
Tv umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS)
Match referee: David Boon (AUS)
Opener Graeme Smith was unbeaten on 227 for his 27th Test hundred and AB de Villiers on 157 not out at stumps as South Africa extended their lead to 361 runs with six wickets intact.
The pair has so far added 326 for an unbroken fifth wicket stand -- an all time South African record for this wicket in Tests.
Pakistan were bowled out for 99 in their first innings.
Pakistan lead the two-match series 1-0 after winning last week s first Test by seven wickets in Abu Dhabi.
Scoreboard at close on the second day of the second and final Test between Pakistan and South Africa at Dubai cricket stadium on Thursday:
Pakistan 1st innings 99 (Zulfiqar Babar 25; Imran Tahir 5-32, D. Steyn 3-38)
South Africa Ist innings
A. Petersen lbw b Babar 26
G. Smith not out 227
D. Elgar c Ali b Ajmal 23
J. Kallis lbw b Ajmal 7
D. Steyn b Irfan 7
AB de Villiers not out 157
Extras: (b4, lb7, w2) 13
Total: (for four wkts; 134 overs) 460
Fall of wickets: 1-37 (Petersen), 2-91 (Elgar), 3-119 (Kallis), 4-134 (Steyn)
Bowling: Irfan 27-4-84-1 (w1), Khan 27-2-99-0 (w1), Ajmal 43.4-5-132-2, Babar 31.2-2-112-1, Ali 5-0-22-0
Toss: Pakistan
Umpires: Rod Tucker (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG)
Tv umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS)
Match referee: David Boon (AUS)
Israel downplays differences with US over Iran
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel s international affairs minister on Thursday said there were "small differences" with the United States over the Iranian nuclear issue, a week after direct talks between Tehran and world powers.
"We generally see eye to eye with the Americans on the final objective, which is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, but there are sometimes small differences over the way to do that," Yuval Steinitz, who is also intelligence minister, told Israeli public radio.
Steinitz, who is on a visit to the US for discussions on Iran, did not elaborate, but added that sanctions against Tehran must not be relaxed until there is "an agreement guaranteeing 100 percent that Iran will never be able to have a nuclear weapon".
Israel has repeatedly warned against the so-called charm offensive of Iran s new President Hassan Rouhani, which led to direct talks between Tehran and the P5+1 countries -- United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany -- in Geneva on October 15 and 16. Another round of talks is slated for next month.
The Jewish state, the Islamic republic s arch-foe, has insisted there be no relief for Iran from crippling economic sanctions which it says brought it to the table in the first place.
Israel, the Middle East s sole if undeclared nuclear-armed power, wants Iran to meet four conditions before the sanctions are eased: halting all uranium enrichment; removing all enriched uranium from its territory; closing its underground nuclear facility in Qom; and halting construction of a plutonium reactor.
Western countries, along with Israel, suspect Iran s nuclear activities are aimed at military objectives, a claim Tehran vehemently denies.
Steinitz said Israel does not oppose Iran s right to civilian nuclear energy, but insisted it must not be able to enrich its own uranium, which is required for nuclear fuel but can also be used to develop a warhead.
Israel s President Shimon Peres, meanwhile, linked the Iran nuclear issue to the wider topic of regime change in the Middle East.
"All of us are concerned about the enrichment of uranium but there is a wider picture," he told a conference organised by right-leaning newspaper the Jerusalem Post.
"Dictatorships only seem strong but they are the weakest, an Iranian Spring is possible; don t underestimate the power and ability of the people," Peres said.
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, speaking at the same event, said that Arab countries could join an "axis" with Israel to counter the Iranian threat, but only if peace talks with Palestinians made headway.
"The fact that the conflict with the Palestinians has not been settled is preventing Arab countries threatened by Iran from overtly collaborating with Israel.
"Progress in negotiations will weaken Iran and allow for an axis comprising Arab countries and Israel against Iran," Livni said.
Ahead of talks in Rome with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said "words are no substitute for actions" on the Iran nuclear issue, adding that it was too early to talk about easing sanctions on the country.
At the same time he hailed the recent signs of openness in Iran following Rouhani s election and said the country should now respect the same rules as other nuclear powers.
"We generally see eye to eye with the Americans on the final objective, which is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, but there are sometimes small differences over the way to do that," Yuval Steinitz, who is also intelligence minister, told Israeli public radio.
Steinitz, who is on a visit to the US for discussions on Iran, did not elaborate, but added that sanctions against Tehran must not be relaxed until there is "an agreement guaranteeing 100 percent that Iran will never be able to have a nuclear weapon".
Israel has repeatedly warned against the so-called charm offensive of Iran s new President Hassan Rouhani, which led to direct talks between Tehran and the P5+1 countries -- United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany -- in Geneva on October 15 and 16. Another round of talks is slated for next month.
The Jewish state, the Islamic republic s arch-foe, has insisted there be no relief for Iran from crippling economic sanctions which it says brought it to the table in the first place.
Israel, the Middle East s sole if undeclared nuclear-armed power, wants Iran to meet four conditions before the sanctions are eased: halting all uranium enrichment; removing all enriched uranium from its territory; closing its underground nuclear facility in Qom; and halting construction of a plutonium reactor.
Western countries, along with Israel, suspect Iran s nuclear activities are aimed at military objectives, a claim Tehran vehemently denies.
Steinitz said Israel does not oppose Iran s right to civilian nuclear energy, but insisted it must not be able to enrich its own uranium, which is required for nuclear fuel but can also be used to develop a warhead.
Israel s President Shimon Peres, meanwhile, linked the Iran nuclear issue to the wider topic of regime change in the Middle East.
"All of us are concerned about the enrichment of uranium but there is a wider picture," he told a conference organised by right-leaning newspaper the Jerusalem Post.
"Dictatorships only seem strong but they are the weakest, an Iranian Spring is possible; don t underestimate the power and ability of the people," Peres said.
Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, speaking at the same event, said that Arab countries could join an "axis" with Israel to counter the Iranian threat, but only if peace talks with Palestinians made headway.
"The fact that the conflict with the Palestinians has not been settled is preventing Arab countries threatened by Iran from overtly collaborating with Israel.
"Progress in negotiations will weaken Iran and allow for an axis comprising Arab countries and Israel against Iran," Livni said.
Ahead of talks in Rome with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry said "words are no substitute for actions" on the Iran nuclear issue, adding that it was too early to talk about easing sanctions on the country.
At the same time he hailed the recent signs of openness in Iran following Rouhani s election and said the country should now respect the same rules as other nuclear powers.
Russia angrily dismisses US spying accusations
MOSCOW (AP) Russia on Thursday angrily dismissed espionage accusations against a Russian cultural exchange official in Washington, saying the U.S. claims were unfounded.
The FBI is looking into whether Yury Zaytsev, the head of a Russian government-run cultural exchange program, tried to recruit young Americans as intelligence assets, a U.S. intelligence official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe was still underway.
The magazine Mother Jones first reported the story.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was "bewildered" by the reports and said the "fabrications they contained had nothing to do with the reality."
It demanded the U.S. government "unequivocally and publicly disavow the ill-intended attempts to cast a shadow on the activities of the Russian Center for Science and Culture."
An FBI spokesman, Jason Pack, declined to comment.
Zaytsev dismissed the accusations as an attempt to hurt ties between Moscow and Washington.
"It s a shame that echoes of the Cold War are heard in Russian-American relations from time to time," Russia s Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying.
Evgeniy Khorishko, spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington, also denied the suspicions, telling Itar-Tass that "such horror stories smack of Cold War times."
Mother Jones said the organization run by Zaytsev has footed the bill for about 130 Americans to visit Russia. His center offers language lessons and cultural programs. The magazine said Zaytsev or his associates had built files on participants, including one who had been an adviser to a U.S. state governor.
The magazine said FBI agents have been interviewing Americans who participated in the program.
Zaytsev s case comes amid friction in U.S.-Russian ties, which have been strained over differences on Syria, Moscow s decision to give refuge to former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden and the Kremlin s crackdown on the opposition and rights activists.
A flurry of spy cases has added to the tension. In May, Russian security services arrested a U.S. diplomat who they say was caught red-handed while trying to court a spy. He left the country a few days later.
In 2010, the FBI busted a ring of sleeper agents for Russia that it had been following for years in the United States. All 10, including the now well-known Anna Chapman, pleaded guilty and were returned in a swap.
The FBI is looking into whether Yury Zaytsev, the head of a Russian government-run cultural exchange program, tried to recruit young Americans as intelligence assets, a U.S. intelligence official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe was still underway.
The magazine Mother Jones first reported the story.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said it was "bewildered" by the reports and said the "fabrications they contained had nothing to do with the reality."
It demanded the U.S. government "unequivocally and publicly disavow the ill-intended attempts to cast a shadow on the activities of the Russian Center for Science and Culture."
An FBI spokesman, Jason Pack, declined to comment.
Zaytsev dismissed the accusations as an attempt to hurt ties between Moscow and Washington.
"It s a shame that echoes of the Cold War are heard in Russian-American relations from time to time," Russia s Itar-Tass news agency quoted him as saying.
Evgeniy Khorishko, spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington, also denied the suspicions, telling Itar-Tass that "such horror stories smack of Cold War times."
Mother Jones said the organization run by Zaytsev has footed the bill for about 130 Americans to visit Russia. His center offers language lessons and cultural programs. The magazine said Zaytsev or his associates had built files on participants, including one who had been an adviser to a U.S. state governor.
The magazine said FBI agents have been interviewing Americans who participated in the program.
Zaytsev s case comes amid friction in U.S.-Russian ties, which have been strained over differences on Syria, Moscow s decision to give refuge to former National Security Agency systems analyst Edward Snowden and the Kremlin s crackdown on the opposition and rights activists.
A flurry of spy cases has added to the tension. In May, Russian security services arrested a U.S. diplomat who they say was caught red-handed while trying to court a spy. He left the country a few days later.
In 2010, the FBI busted a ring of sleeper agents for Russia that it had been following for years in the United States. All 10, including the now well-known Anna Chapman, pleaded guilty and were returned in a swap.
Terrorist attack convoy of Arab prince
QUETTA: Unidentified terrorists carried out attack on the convoy of an Arab prince on a hunting trip in Turbat district of Balochistan province on Tuesday while a Levies official was killed in the attack.
The incident took place in Buleda area of Turbat where an Arab prince and his convoy were on a hunting trip while Levies forces were providing the security, officials said.
Officials did not mentioned nationality of Arab prince, however local media said the prince belongs to a Gulf state.
Earlier in Feburuary this year, Qatar based Arab Prince was also attack in Pattok area of Kech district of Balochistan.
According to reports, one vehicle kept fire in the terrorists’ attack while Levies forces and the prince convoy’s weapons were also stolen by the assailants.
However, the prince along with his envoy and security officials escaped from the location.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s resource-rich and largest province by area, suffers from an upsurge in sectarian violence and attacks by separatist militants, who target civilians and security forces alike.
The incident took place in Buleda area of Turbat where an Arab prince and his convoy were on a hunting trip while Levies forces were providing the security, officials said.
Officials did not mentioned nationality of Arab prince, however local media said the prince belongs to a Gulf state.
Earlier in Feburuary this year, Qatar based Arab Prince was also attack in Pattok area of Kech district of Balochistan.
According to reports, one vehicle kept fire in the terrorists’ attack while Levies forces and the prince convoy’s weapons were also stolen by the assailants.
However, the prince along with his envoy and security officials escaped from the location.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s resource-rich and largest province by area, suffers from an upsurge in sectarian violence and attacks by separatist militants, who target civilians and security forces alike.
Iran terms UN report on rights violations unfair
TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran on Thursday angrily rejected as "unfair" and politically-motivated a UN report which said the Islamic republic s human rights record showed no sign of improvement.
The report "describes the human rights situation in Iran in a completely unfair light and with political motivations," foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said in a statement carried by the state broadcaster.
Iran will not allow "such prejudiced reports to become the judging standard of its human rights situation," she said.
In a report on Wednesday, special human rights monitor for Iran Ahmed Shaheed condemned the high number of executions in the country this year as well as tough restrictions on freedom of speech, especially online.
"The human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to warrant serious concern, with no sign of improvement in the areas previously raised by the general assembly or the various human rights monitoring mechanisms," Shaheed said in the report.
Tehran has so far refused to let Shaheed visit the country since being appointed in 2011, and has responded to only a handful of official requests for information.
Shaheed thus has relied on contacting campaigners and victims inside Iran, as well as exiles and human rights groups, to write his reports on the country.
His report came almost three months after President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate, took office in Iran with a declared mandate to improve social and cultural freedoms at home.
Iran last month released dozens of political prisoners, including prominent rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.
But many more remain behind bars or under house arrest, including figures rounded up in the aftermath of massive street protests sparked by a disputed presidential election in 2009.
Afkham also said Iran did not recognise the rapporteur.
"Iran considers the appointment of a special human rights rapporteur an insult to the great Iranian nation, and thus does not recognise it," she said.
Afkham criticised Shaheed for what she called "sources from terrorist and violent groups," saying they deprived the report of "legitimacy and legality."
The report "describes the human rights situation in Iran in a completely unfair light and with political motivations," foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said in a statement carried by the state broadcaster.
Iran will not allow "such prejudiced reports to become the judging standard of its human rights situation," she said.
In a report on Wednesday, special human rights monitor for Iran Ahmed Shaheed condemned the high number of executions in the country this year as well as tough restrictions on freedom of speech, especially online.
"The human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to warrant serious concern, with no sign of improvement in the areas previously raised by the general assembly or the various human rights monitoring mechanisms," Shaheed said in the report.
Tehran has so far refused to let Shaheed visit the country since being appointed in 2011, and has responded to only a handful of official requests for information.
Shaheed thus has relied on contacting campaigners and victims inside Iran, as well as exiles and human rights groups, to write his reports on the country.
His report came almost three months after President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate, took office in Iran with a declared mandate to improve social and cultural freedoms at home.
Iran last month released dozens of political prisoners, including prominent rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh.
But many more remain behind bars or under house arrest, including figures rounded up in the aftermath of massive street protests sparked by a disputed presidential election in 2009.
Afkham also said Iran did not recognise the rapporteur.
"Iran considers the appointment of a special human rights rapporteur an insult to the great Iranian nation, and thus does not recognise it," she said.
Afkham criticised Shaheed for what she called "sources from terrorist and violent groups," saying they deprived the report of "legitimacy and legality."
PPP demand replacement of Punjab opposition leader
Lahore: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has demanded that Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed, Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly, should be replaced.
Talking to party members at Lahore Press Club today (Thursday), former opposition leader Raja Riaz said that his party favours strong opposition.
PPP wants to see mutual cooperation between the opposition parties, he said.
Raja Riaz said Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed is not addressing the public issues, adding that PTI should introduce a new opposition leader who can openly talk over prevailing issues including terrorism, inflation and unemployment.
Talking to party members at Lahore Press Club today (Thursday), former opposition leader Raja Riaz said that his party favours strong opposition.
PPP wants to see mutual cooperation between the opposition parties, he said.
Raja Riaz said Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed is not addressing the public issues, adding that PTI should introduce a new opposition leader who can openly talk over prevailing issues including terrorism, inflation and unemployment.
There will be no shift in drone policy: US
WASHINGTON: Talking to media persons Thursday, an US official said Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif raised the issues of drone attacks but US would not change its policy on drones.
He said Nawaz also raised the issues of Aafia Siddique’s release but US officials told him that they could not discuss the issue any further.
The US official told the media persons that Pakistan has been provided solid evidence against Hafiz Saeed and it should honour the sanctions imposed against Jamat-ud-Dawa.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated Islamabad s demand for putting an end to US drone strikes inside his country s territory, but the White House defended their use in counter-terror efforts.
Sharif said he wants to see US-Pakistan relations improve "but the issue of drones has become a major irritant in our bilateral relationship".
A report by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch released on Tuesday said that US drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen may constitute human rights violations and "appear to be war crimes."
However, The United States hit back the same day at the charges, arguing that criticism from rights groups does not reflect events on the ground.
He said Nawaz also raised the issues of Aafia Siddique’s release but US officials told him that they could not discuss the issue any further.
The US official told the media persons that Pakistan has been provided solid evidence against Hafiz Saeed and it should honour the sanctions imposed against Jamat-ud-Dawa.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated Islamabad s demand for putting an end to US drone strikes inside his country s territory, but the White House defended their use in counter-terror efforts.
Sharif said he wants to see US-Pakistan relations improve "but the issue of drones has become a major irritant in our bilateral relationship".
A report by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch released on Tuesday said that US drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen may constitute human rights violations and "appear to be war crimes."
However, The United States hit back the same day at the charges, arguing that criticism from rights groups does not reflect events on the ground.
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