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The head of the English Defence League, Tommy Robinson, will be named deputy leader of the British Freedom party this week after proposing that the group adopt virulent anti-Islamic policies as its central strategy. Confirmation that Robinson is to be offered a political
platform within the BFP is contained in internal documents revealing that he has forwarded a number of potential policy suggestions that suggest the party will widen its attacks on Muslims. Anti-fascist campaign group Hope Not Hate made the claim on their website,
but disagreed with his choice of victims. Gould wrote, I understand why he did it but he picked on the wrong people, young brain washed kids was disgusting, if he had singled out the Muslim filth causing on the troubles he would most likely be seen as a hero. Another is David Jones. This Nazi sympathizer is standing in Calderdale. He has just been Continued on page 3 >>
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GEORGE Galloway has said he may stand as mayor for Bradford should the city vote Yes in Thursdays referendum. The Bradford West MP, who only won the seat two months ago following a shock by-election victory, said his Respect Party are yet to short list candidates should the city chose a mayoral system. He also said Bradford-born party leader Salma Yaqoob was a possible candidate. Respect is hoping to take control of Bradford politics this year, there are 12 candidates standing in the council elections, and Mr Galloway is confident they will win enough seats to hold the balance of power. Labour is currently one seat away from a majority, but faces a challenge from Respect in its inner city strongholds. Six of the seats being contested by Respect are currently held by Labour . Mr Galloway said it is the city with the most reason to vote Yes.
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Mr Galloway said he may well stand - the rules do not preclude sitting MPs from campaigning - however he did admit he would prefer to find a suitable alternative. Salma Yaqoob is one possibility, and
The public meeting organised by JUST West Yorkshire in partnership with the Bradford Cathedral, the Common Good Network and the University of Bradford Students Union on the 30th of April 2012 highlighted the ambiguity
there are others within our ranks. Mr Galloway said that a mayor was also needed because of the gulf between the majority of the public and politicians.
that continues to hang in the publics mind around the issue of an elected
Some 100 protestors attended the demonstrations, and they were outnumbered by hundreds of counter-demonstrators, reports said. The so-called cartoon contest is deliberately aimed at provoking Muslims, Jger said. Xenophobia Trying to prevent protests, the interior minister condemned the campaign, expressing support for planned counter-demonstrations. The authorities will exhaust all legal avenues to prevent a xenophobic hate campaign, Jger told Die Welt. All democrats agree xenophobic incitement has
no place here, he added. Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich warned of a possible confrontation between Muslims and right-wing extremists, saying it could have unforeseeable consequences for public safety. He told lawmakers that this deliberate provocation by Pro NRW would inflame tensions and lead to violent clashes. He added that German embassies and companies operating abroad might also be affected, similar to the protests in Muslim countries following the publication in 2005 of Danish cartoons. Germany is believed to be home to nearly 4 million Muslims, including 220,000 in Berlin alone. Turks make up an estimated two thirds of the Muslim minority. Germans have grown hostile to the Muslim presence recently, with a heated debate on the Muslim immigration into the country. A recent poll by the Munster University found that Germans view Muslims more negatively than their European neighbors. Germanys daily Der Spiegel had warned last August that the country is becoming intolerant towards its Muslim minority. According to a 2010 nationwide poll by the research institute Infratest-dimap, more than one third of the respondents would prefer a Germany without Islam.
Trade unionists, pensioners, students and activists are to take part in a number of protests and rallies to mark the annual May Day celebrations. Leaders of trade unions will address a rally in Londons Trafalgar Square against a backdrop of disputes in the public sector over jobs, pay and pensions. Tens of thousands of civil servants, lecturers, health workers, Ministry of Defence staff and Royal Fleet Auxiliary employees will take industrial action on May 10 in the bitter dispute over the Governments controversial public sector reforms. May Day has been celebrated in London
public and private sector, the disabled and women mean we have to fight back and say there is a different way forward. Campaigners continue to call for May 1 to be a public holiday. Anti-tax avoidance protesters are also planning demonstrations in central London, targeting areas including Tube stations. It is also celebrated unofficially in many other countries. Labour Day has its origins in the eighthour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest. The first May Day celebration in India
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lumbia, protesters are orchestrating a massive country-wide demonstration on Tuesday, May 1, and their plans call for what could be the biggest event of its like in recent memory. In locales like New York City, San Francisco, California and at least 100 cities in between, thousands of demonstrators are expected to take to the streets on Tuesday for a national day of protest. Originating out of the Occupy Wall Street movement, what began as just a gathering of a few like-minded individuals in Lower Manhattan last year has spawned protests from coast to coast and in cities and countries across the world.
since the 1880s and Tuesdays event in the capital will be supported by a wide variety of groups representing workers, students, pensioners and politicians. One of the organisers said: Attacks on the NHS, education, pensions, the civil service, local government, jobs both
was organised in Madras by the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan on May 1, 1923. Some records say it was also the first time the red flag was used in India. Today, May Day is a nationwide bank and public holiday in India. In Mahar-
the old Bombay State became divided on linguistic lines. In the US and Canada, however, the official holiday for workers is Labour Day in September. After the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago on May 1, 1886, the then US President Grover Cleveland Boris Johnson a Tory who campaigns to hand over money to the rich through tax cuts, someone who has supported every war over the last decade, someone who seeks out the company of bankers, rather than people like you. Galloway says, On the other is Ken Livingstone a real Labour man who when he was mayor of London prioritised the people especially the poorest people not the millionaires. He has opposed unjust wars abroad and racism and discrimination at home. The right wing media think it is a mark of shame that Ken stands opposes the wave of hatred directed against ethnic minorities and Muslims, Galloway added. In fact it is a badge of honour. If Boris Johnson scrapes to victory on Thursday perhaps because people forget to vote for Ken or dont think the election is important the same papers that bash the poor, the immigrants and the Muslims will be strengthened. Bradford MP said there would be no point a few weeks later wishing you had voted for Ken. Galloway suggested to Ken that he needs to connect to his core, including the 750,000 Muslim voters in London. If they dont vote, hes
align it with global labour movements. So the US government decided in 1887 to shift the Labour Day to the first working Monday of September. General strike to hit the US on May First. In more than 100 cities from Washington State to the District of Codone for, but if they do, in numbers, he could win handsomely. We need to see a return of the colourful old Red Ken and less of the play-it-safe New Labour Ken. Ive known Ken for 30 years. You know that he is a man of principle, who wont bend what he says to suit the powers that be. London needs him as the city faces an onslaught against the majority by those who dont care about ever rising fares and prices because they dont live in the same world as the rest of us. So tell your family, friends and neighbours vote Ken Livingstone for mayor of London on Thursday, Galloway concluded. Dont let the Tories get away with it On 3rd May Londoners face a choice between a Labour Mayor and a Tory Mayor. That choice is the simple, clear choice that matters on May 3rd. Its a choice between a Conservative party that will carry on ripping off Londoners and a Labour party determined to make you better off. The Conservative Party has: Pushed Britain back into recession
Now nearly seven months after OWS first took hold in New Yorks Zuccotti Park, occupiers across the nation and even abroad will be assembling on May 1 for a massive general strike being advertised as a day without the 99 percent. Hiked up bus, rail, Tube, tram and DLR fares Introduced a granny tax to fund a tax-cut for the rich Hit young people and students, including scrapped the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) Cut funding for childcare Allowed rip-off energy companies to hike up bills A Labour Mayor of London would: Cut fares, saving the average farepayer 1,000 over four years Reverse Boris Johnsons police cuts Create a 30-a-week London EMA for 16-19 year olds Provide grants and loans for childcare Offer Londoners cheaper electricity and heating through a London Energy Co-op Oppose the granny tax paid for by the tax cut for the richest and freeze Council Tax The central choice on Thursday is between a Conservative Party continuing to rip you off, or a Labour Party that will make you better off. Dont let the Tories get away with it. Vote Labour in London on Thursday.
Continued from page 1 >> arrested for Election fraud but it beggars belief how such a blatant Nazi supporter could be allowed to participate in any UK election. Overall Searchlight claim that there are at least 137 people standing for the British National Party (BNP), 35 for the National Front (NF), 6 for the British Freedom Party (BFP), 5 for the Democratic Nationalists (DN) and one each for the British Peoples Party (BPP) and England First Party (EFP). The biggest fear that many anti-fascist groups have in the run up to these elections is complacency. For example, in the GLA elections Far Right groups only need 5% of the vote to get an elected representative on to the GLA. This the BNP achieved last time round and they will be once again hoping that decent Londoners do not vote on May 3rd. Wherever the politics of hatred are standing, lets make sure they are thoroughly democratically beaten. Boris Johnson admitted that he failed to engage enough with nearly 7.5 million Muslim Londoners. The admission came from Tory politician
at his meeting with representatives of more than 50 mosques at the Regents Park Mosque - Islamic Cultural Centre London. Sir Iqbal Sacranie criticised Boris Johnson for not engaging with British Muslim organisations, sidelining the key stakeholders, while engaging more with Jewish and Hindu communities. Johnson agreed in his reply that he could have done more to engage with the Muslim communities but said that the Olympics preparations and post-riots London kept him too busy to concentrate on other matters. But he promised that he will hold regular sessions with Muslims in the future and will hear and speak more with them. Vote Ken Livingstone for mayor of London: Galloway There are some who dont want you even to know that there is an election taking place, or who are encouraging the falsehoods that the result doesnt really matter or that it is all something of a lighthearted personality contest, said George Galloway, MP for Bradford West. Thats not true. On the one side stands
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Islam is the Problem: Boris
EDITORIAL
London Muslims Lets Do A Bradford And Ensure Ken Livingstone Is Elected Mayor
It seems like Boris Johnson is always apologising to somebody. Boris Johnson admitted that he failed to engage enough with nearly 7.5 million Muslim Londoners. In April 2008, Boris insulted the British Black community for condoning an article which said that Black people had a lower IQ. Recently he upset the Citys Irish community, Again he had to take back his words and apologise. Its not just locally, in September The Muslim Vote Should Not Be Underestimated As the London Mayoral elections and local elections in parts of the country takes place on 3 May, how significant is the Muslim vote and should politicians be worried about how Muslims are encouraged to vote? Muslim communities across the UK and political parties alike are now realising the potential of the tactical Muslim vote. Political parties who are aiming the Bradford West election but also the campaigns not to vote for Boris Johnson in the upcoming London Mayoral election.
Voting Labour in these elections is an urgent necessity. Most people in Britain will be voting on Thursday. YouGov shows the Tories down
Livingstone said, I have long held to the belief in no platform for the far right. The far right want to destroy our democracy and stand for the elimination of our basic rights.
2006, he had to apologise to a whole country after he linked Papua New Guinea to cannibalism and chief killings. Again Boris Johnson, apologised. In October 2004, Ken Bigley of Liverpool was beheaded after being held hostage in Iraq. This obviously was a very sad time for Mr Bigleys family, but once again Mr Johnson put his foot in it, by writing an article in The Spectator saying that city of Liverpool was wallowing in disproportionate grief. Mr Johnson was sent to Liverpool straight after his article was published, to explain himself. In 2005, Mr Johnson wrote an article in the wake of 7/7 claiming that Islam is the problem. I couldnt find an apology for this. Boris Johnson admitted that he failed to engage enough with nearly 7.5 million Muslim Londoners. The admission came from Tory politician at his meeting with representatives of more than 50 mosques at the Regents Park Mosque - Islamic Cultural Centre London last month. Sir Iqbal Sacranie criticised Boris Johnson for not engaging with British Muslim organisations, sidelining the key stakeholders, while engaging more with Jews. Johnson agreed in his reply that he could have done more to engage with the Muslim communities but said that the Olympics preparations and postriots London kept him too busy to concentrate on other matters. But he promised that he will hold regular sessions with Muslims in the future and will hear and speak more with them. Thursday, Mr. Johnson will be running for London Mayor again, do you really want this man to represent your capital city?
for strongholds in constituencies where the Muslim vote can be crucial must now work extra hard to engage with Muslim communities and address the issues which are on the top of their agenda. Muslims represent 3% of Britains population. Even though this is a small percentage, there are 20 marginal constituencies with significant Muslim voting potential. In these constituencies, the Muslim vote can be crucial Muslims have always been strong supporters of the Labour party. However, in the 2010 general election, the Liberal Democrats managed to secure a large percentage of the Muslim vote away from Labour due to their rejection of the Iraq war and support for the Palestinian cause. George Galloways success in Bradford West also highlighted the distrust felt by the Muslim community towards political support for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. A study carried out by YouEelect on voting Muslim intentions showed that when it came to voting, 53% of Muslims viewed foreign policy as the biggest issue while 38% said Islamophobia and 35% felt domestic policy was a significant issue. Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan were the three main areas of foreign policy which Muslims felt strongly about. In the past, Labour has always had been able to gather the Muslim vote on their side. As more and more Muslims are opening up their eyes to the political scene and as groups like MPACUK and Engage are encouraging this political participation, Muslim voters are thinking twice about where to place their vote. This is not only evident in the result in
on 29%, the totemic number that sunk Gordon Brown at the last general election. Labour at 40% should sweep up council seats north and south, easing some of those old 1997 fears about southern discomfort. The Lib Dems have done nothing, except give unquestioning support when they might have saved the Tories from themselves. The doubledipped economy showing no flicker of life is set to stand as this governments tombstone. These elections come at the worst time for David Cameron, with one calamity after another in the six weeks since the budget. This is probably the worst government of my political lifetime both brutal and bungling. Is Labour policy all that you would wish? Probably not but an economy run by Ed Balls would stand a good chance of kick-starting growth, in a European movement against austerity slumponomics. Would Ed Miliband be a great leader? Quite good enough, compared with what we have. London, as elsewhere, should send the same message. Ignore the Boris and Ken worst character contest, and consider what matters: who respect Muslim issues more? who will run London best and most fairly? We have the records of both men. Kens plans for lower fares, more homes, more buses, cheaper electricity and a new EMA are called impossible, but so was his congestion charge. His record shows he gets things done. Ill vote for him enthusiastically and not just because hes not a Tory but Livingstone said he would like to see Muslims depicted in a better balance and It is the Muslims turn now. Dont be divided.
They cannot be treated as a legitimate part of politics. I will not share a platform with the BNP and it is a point of principle to me that I never will do. His refusal to appear prompted other mayoral candidates to pull out toofirst the Greens Jenny Jones, then Tory Boris Johnson and then Liberal Democrats Brian Paddick. Livingstones stance demonstrates how effective the no platform policy can be. By refusing to ap-
don helps keep the Nazis out. Christine Blower, general secretary of the NUT teachers union, was one of those handing out the anti BNP leafletswhich were produced jointly by UAF and NUT. She told Socialist Worker, The NUT has a political fund exactly because it lets us campaign against racist and fascist parties. NUT members will be on the streets in large numbers during these elections to say we cannot have fascists in our town halls.
The lead and the information actually came from us, an unnamed senior official with Pakistans InterServices Intelligence Directorate (ISI) told The Post. The al Qaeda founder and 9/11 mastermind was killed on May 2 last year in a secret US Navy SEAL operation in a walled-off compound in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad, north of the Pakistani capital. Washington and Islamabad are now working to repair their relationship, which was badly damaged by the revelation that the worlds most wanted man was living a stones throw from Pakistans elite military academy. Any hit on al Qaeda anywhere in the world has happened with our help, The Post quotes one of the Pakistani intelligence officials as saying. The other official, who said he had
been intimately involved in the hunt for senior al Qaeda operatives, including bin Laden, said the ISI provided the CIA with a cellphone number that eventually led to an al Qaeda courier using the nom de guerre of Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, the paper said. The officials said that in November 2010, they turned over the number to the CIA, along with information that it had last been detected in Abbottabad, the report said.
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Two Islamic societies at London Metropolitan University in Aldgate have demanded an apology from their vice chancellor for making undemocratic, ill devised and misleading remarks in support of a student drinking ban. In their letter the universitys two Islamic groups said: Your comments clearly showed the alcohol ban you proposed is based on gross generalisation about the views of Muslim students. There has never been a demand for an alcohol ban on campus from Muslim or non-Muslim students. We find your argument to ban alcohol on religious grounds baseless, divisive and irresponsible. They accused Vice Chancellor Professor Malcolm Gillies of immorally using them as scapegoats in order to justify a decision not to renew a costly lease for the student bar. Their comments, issued on behalf of the LMU Islamic Society and Shia Muslim Society, follow a suggestion from Prof Gillies that he was considering banning the sale of alcohol from parts of the universitys two campuses. This, he said, was an issue of cultural sensitivity resulting from a high percentage of students considering drinking immoral. Earlier this month, he said: There are students who do come from a
now reprimanded Prof Gillies for failing to consult all students on any proposed alcohol ban and have demanded a retraction and an apology for his comments. They said: There has never been a demand for an alcohol ban on campus from Muslim or nonMuslim students. The Muslim population at London Met stands at approximately 20 per cent, so assuming all Muslims at the campus were in favour of the ban, this could not be imposed as it would go against the fundamental principal of democracy.
alcohol on religious grounds baseless, divisive and irresponsible and we are concerned about the welfare of the students. Such an unreasonable proposal which clearly many non-Muslims view as an attack by Muslims against their way of life, is absolutely of no benefit to the Muslim students and the wider Muslim community at all. In fact it demonises them even more and it will be used as baseless evidence to show how Britain is becoming a shariastate, particularly by far right groups such as the EDL
certainly immoral. If the university finds that running the bars is not economically viable then you should put forward a business case and not a religious case to justify the closure of bars and the creation of an alcohol-free campus. Your undemocratic, ill devised and misleading remarks have caused tension within the university campus and in the wider society; therefore we demand a retraction of your comments and an unreserved apology.
The Environment Agency has issued 35 flood warnings across England and Wales, and 120 less serious flood alerts, which indicate areas where flooding is possible. Only the north west of England will not be affected. The River Severn looks set to peak in Gloucestershire on Wednesday and people have been cautioned to stay away from swollen rivers. Somerset, Dorset and Devon are particularly vulnerable to flooding, says the Environment Agency (EA), but the threat of major flooding is starting to recede. More than 20mm of rain fell in the space of 12 hours in some regions, and more downpours are expected on Tuesday, which will increase pressure on already saturated rivers. River flows are high after this weekends rainfall and we are keeping a close watch on river levels as well
Flood warnings are issued in southern England and Wales after a night of heavy rain. But the hosepipe ban remains despite the wettest April on record.
as checking defences and clearing any potential blockages to reduce the risk of flooding, said the EA in a statement. easterly winds across the Midlands and parts of Wales. ellow warnings for heavy downpours have also been issued in the south and east of Eng-
Gloucestershire County Council said some roads were closed, including one in Cinderford which was shut after the road collapsed, and a number of minor routes in Tewkesbury which were under water. Drivers have been warned to take care, and although rain is expected to reduce as the day goes on, the Met Office warned of strong north
land, southern Wales, London and the Midlands. Flooding and drought? This April has been the wettest since records began (in 1910), according to provisional figures from the Met Office [see graphic], but the heavy downpours are not the right conditions to relieve the countrys
drought, says Weather Presenter Liam Dutton: The key to explaining why there are flood warnings in a drought lies in the speed at which
surface water sources respond to rainfall. Read more here. Thames Water warned its 8.8 million customers that a hosepipe ban will remain in place despite heavy downpours. The UKs biggest water company said that this months rain did not make up for a shortfall caused by below-average rainfall in 20 of the previous 25 months. It took the two driest years since records began for us to get into this drought, and one wet month, even one as wet as April, will not be enough to get us out of it, said Richard Aylard, director of sustainability and external affairs for Thames Water. The Met Office issued an amber warning of severe rain and storms in south west England. Yellow warnings for heavy downpours are also in place for the south and east of England, southern Wales, London and the Midlands.
Since March last year, a hidden movement has gathered pace in the oil-rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For the first time in decades, ordinary citizens in large numbers
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are demanding reform in public in the Arab monarchy. This is considered phenomenal because no public gatherings of any kind are allowed in Saudi Arabia. It all began early last year when the Islamic Awakening started. Activists inspired by the revolutions taking place in Tunisia and Egypt decided to start a movement of their own. Saudi Arabia Protests also known as Hunayn Revolution started in January 2011. The protests were triggered by Self-immolation and some minor demonstrations in a few cities. On the 29th of January 2011, hundreds of Saudis protested over poor infrastructure in Jeddah after a flood took place in the Kingdom. In January 2011, protesters took to the streets, demonstrating against the government corruption. The protests were not organized at first and happened sporadically in different cities including the capital Riyadh and the main western port city of Jeddah. But, in February things changed. Activists, using the social site Facebook, called for nationwide mass rallies on March 11 dubbing it the Day of Rage. In Riyadh, only one person showed up as the Saudi government had the whole capital on lock down. His name was Khaled al-Johani. He was detained since then and became
streets on Friday 27Tth April evening. Saudi protesters have been holding demonstrations on an almost regular basis in Eastern Province,
yet to find out about. At around the same time frame, the protests of another front became known. In the oil-rich Eastern Province, thousands of people-
mainly in Qatif and Awamiyah, calling for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.
-mainly from the minority Shia sect of Islam---began to come to the streets, calling for equal representation in key offices, reform, and the release of the prisoners. As
Human rights group Amnesty International later learned that four others had also been arrested
their movement began to grow and infuriated by their governments decision to send hundreds of
Last summer, female activists organized a campaign calling on all women drivers to take behind the
place on June 17 and infuriated the government. At least 70 women have been arrested in that month alone for driving. A few weeks ago in the southern tourist city of Abha, hundreds of women protesters staged a sit-in at their university, protesting against injustice and inequality. They were brutally attacked by the moral police. Over 50 of the women were injured and taken to a hospital. The incident sparked outrage across the country with male and female students taking to the streets in Abha, Riyadh and the holy city of Medina. Saudi citizens for the first time are showing their anger at the government and asking for change. Riyadh knows this very well. Therefore its actions of playing the counter-revolution party in the region also aim to illustrate the horror of a revolution in their country. The governmentcontrolled media only cover the negative aspects of the prodemocracy movements sweeping the Arab world. This comes while Saudi Arabia is playing a key role in containing the uprising and helping Arab regimes suppress the revolutions in their countries. It seems evident that as the US and its western allies continue to turn a blind eye on the main violators of human rights in the Middle East and one of many in the world; the Riyadh government will only feel more confident to do as it wants and what it sees is right. Apparently no western country wants to upset one of its biggest weapons customer and oil providers in the region. Its clear that the winds of change are right on the borders of Saudi Arabia. With the ongoing revolutions in Yemen and Bahrain and the uprising movement in Jordan, the Saudis abroad and inside the Arab kingdom are watching closely as the
known on twitter and Facebook as the only brave man in Saudi Arabia.
on the same day. In a frightening statement, the London-based group said the fact that we have
military vehicles to Bahrain to help the regime crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, they
wheel and violate a Saudi law which prohibits women from driving vehicles. The main event took
fate of their freedom might depend on the outcome of those revolutions happening around them.
<< Continued from page 1 ever referred to as British Freedom. Party word must be dropped from everywhere. Leave the European Union. Promote Christian values.
Europe, a development evidenced by the surprisingly strong showing of support for the French Front National, the far-right party led by Marine Le Pen, in Frances presidential election. It also said that European laws on what girls and women could wear on their heads were encouraging discrimination against Muslims.
Saudi Arabia said on Saturday it had recalled its ambassador from Egypt for consultation and would close its embassy and consulates in the Arab nation. State news agency SPA said the reason behind the diplomatic move was unjustified protests in Egypt and attempts to storm the Saudi embassy and consulates which threatened the safety of its employees.
Egyptians have protested outside the embassy over the arrest of an Egyptian lawyer and human rights activist in the kingdom. Egyptian activists had said the lawyer was arrested for insulting King Abdullah after filing a complaint against Saudi Arabia for its treatment of Egyptian citizens in Saudi prisons. Saudi Arabia said he was arrested in possession of drugs.
Hundreds of Egyptians protested outside the Saudi Embassy on Tuesday demanding the release of an Egyptian human rights lawyer detained in Saudi Arabia for allegedly insulting the kingdoms monarch. Egypts National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) has called on the ruling military council to open negotiations with Saudi Arabian authorities in an effort to secure the release of detained Egyptian lawyer Ahmed El-Gazawi. The Saudi Embassy in a statement said Al Gazawi has not been convicted or sentenced in any case. Instead they said he was being questioned by authorities after airport officials found more than 20,000 anti-anxiety pills hidden inside his luggage. It also said he was not wearing pilgrims clothes, which they said indicated he was not making a religious pilgrimage as his family maintains.
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The demonstrators called for the expulsion of the Saudi ambassador in Cairo. Anti-Saudi sentiment has flared in recent years following reports of Egyptian nationals being mistreated in the kingdom or experiencing a miscarriage of justice in a Saudi court. In this incident, a prominent Egyptian human rights lawyer was arrested upon his April 17 arrival in the Saudi port of Jeddah, Al Gazawis sister told an Egyptian television channel Monday.
Al Gazawi flew to Jeddah on his way to perform a minor pilgrimage, called umrah, to Islams holy shrines in the Saudi cities of Makkah and Madinah, said Shereen Al Gazawi. The fact that he was arrested on his way to perform a religious rite further enflamed Egyptian sentiment. Al Gazawis sister said he had been convicted in absentia and sentenced to a year in prison and 20 lashes by a Saudi court for insulting the king. However he was not notified of the courts ruling ahead of his Saudi trip. Al Gazawi had earlier filed a lawsuit in Egypt against King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz over the alleged arbitrary detention of hundreds of Egyptians. A partner at Al Gazawis law firm, Mohammad Nabeel, said in recent years they have filed lawsuits concerning 34 cases of Egyptians held in Saudi detention without a stated reason or legal recourse.
Saudi Embassy says Al Gazawi has not been convicted or sentenced in any case Prominent Egyptian human rights lawyer was arrested upon his April 17 arrival in the Saudi port of Jiddah, el-Gezawis sister told an Egyptian television channel Monday. El-Gezawi flew to Jiddah on his way to perform a minor pilgrimage, called umrah, to Islams holy shrines in the Saudi cities of Mecca and Medina, said Shereen el-Gezawi. The fact that he was arrested on his way to perform a religious rite further enflamed Egyptian sentiment.
El-Gezawis sister said he had been convicted in absentia and sentenced to a year in prison and 20 lashes by a Saudi court for insulting the king. However he was not notified of the courts ruling ahead of his Saudi trip. El-Gezawi had earlier filed a lawsuit in Egypt against King Abdullah over the alleged arbitrary detention of hundreds of Egyptians. A partner at el-Gezawis law firm, Mohammed Nabil, said in recent years they have filed lawsuits concerning 34 cases of Egyptians held in Saudi detention without a stated reason or legal recourse.
Pakistan may boycott the upcoming NATO summit in Chicago and delay its decision to reopen NATO supply routes in retaliation for the latest US drone attack in North Waziristan Agency, officials said. This was the first such attack since parliament last month approved new guidelines on relations with the United States, which included a call for an end to drone strikes in Pakistani territory. A statement issued by the Foreign Office denounced the latest strike as a violation of Pakistans sovereignty. Such attacks are in total contravention of international law and established norms of interstate relations, it added. The matter would be taken up through diplomatic channels both in Islamabad and Washington. A senior government official told The Express Tribune that Pakistan was contemplating a number of options to convey a strong message on drone strikes to the US. One such option includes pulling out of the Chicago summit scheduled
for May. It was, however, not clear whether Islamabad was formally invited to the gathering of nearly 50 heads of states and governments. US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman did request the Pakistani leadership during his recent trip to attend the summit, said the official. The latest drone attack clearly is an attempt to discredit democracy in Pakistan, added the official, who was part of recent negotiations between Islamabad and Washington. Abandoned school targeted The latest strike took place in Miranshah, the main town in
North Waziristan, on Sunday. The drone fired two missiles targeting an abandoned girls high school building used by militants, officials said. The school which is located in Qari Masjid village was abandoned by schoolchildren due militancy in the area. The building had been taken over by militants, a local resident said. An official from the area confirmed that three people have been killed and two wounded. However, there are reports that there might be six suspected militants killed, he added. Another security official said the compound was used mainly by Uzbek and Tajik militants.
Iran goes nuclear: first nuclear plant comes on-line adding 940 MW to grid
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Irans first nuclear power plant was connected at almost full capacity to the national power grid on April 28, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported, citing Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, who heads the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization. The 1,000-megawatt Bushehr plant cost around $1bn, Bushehr I and II were begun by Siemens is generating 940 megawatts, Abbasi-Davani said, according to the official IRNA report.
A US Air Force spokeswoman confirmed the presence of the aircraft the most advanced fighters in the US arsenal in the general region, while a Pentagon spokesman, Captain John Kirby, described it as a very nor-
its allies in a showdown with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme. According to
posed of a mix of older F-15s and ultra-modern F-22 aircraft are in hangars at the United Arab
bases will endanger the security of the region. He called on the litoral states of the Persian Gulf not to provide any base for non-regional forces. If the litoral states of the Persian Gulf work together to provide security for the whole region, it would be helpful, said the Iranian spokesman. Any kind of dependence on foreign forces would be against the interest of the countries which make use of it, he added. An Iranian lawmaker says deployment of US F-22 Raptor stealth fighters at an airbase in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is nothing new and cannot be considered a threat to the Islamic Republic.
mal deployment.The dispatch of the F-22s, though, comes at a moment of high tension in the Gulf. The United States is leading
Wired magazine, the Pentagon has gradually been assembling an air-to-air fighting team com-
Emirates Al Dafra Air Base, just a short hop over the Persian Gulf from Irans southern border, the
trade publication Aviation Week reported. The fighters join a growing naval armada that includes Navy carriers, submarines, cruisers and destroyers, plus patrol boats and minesweepers enhanced with the latest close-in weaponry, the technology magazine recently reported. While the issue is currently the subject of talks, the next round of which will take place in Baghdad on May 23, Israel and the United States have both warned that military action remains an option should diplomacy fail. Iran has hit back, saying it could close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf to oil tanker traffic if it is threatened. At the same time, Tehran has criticised UAE neighbour Saudi Arabia over its pledge to pump more oil at a time when Iranian oil exports are being cut by Western sanctions. And Iran and the UAE have been locked in a simmering row over ownership of three islands in the Gulf that both countries claim. Washington has sided with the UAE in that dispute. In December, the United States announced a $3.48 billion arms sale to the UAE for missile defence batteries and radars. Two US aircraft carriers and their escort ships are currently in the Gulf. Mehmanparast said in his briefing: Regional countries should resort to collective cooperation to ensure their security. Seeking foreign countries or their equipment not only will not provide security but will endanger the regions security. Vahadi likewise said Gulf countries should cooperate on security, and was quoted as saying: The presence of foreign forces in the region will only complicate the situation further and lead to insecurity.
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Indias top two importers of crude oil from Iran will reduce shipments from the Persian Gulf nation by at least 15% this financial year, the latest sign that New Delhi is playing ball with Washingtons efforts to shut-down Iran oil trade despite public pronouncement from Indian officials that they will continue to buy from Tehran. The government has asked stateowned Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd. and Essar Oil Ltd., a private company, to cut their imports in the year through March 2013 due to demands from the U.S., said two people with direct knowledge of the matter. Definitely, there is a lot of pressure from the U.S., one of the people said. A spokesman
Thursday, 03.05.12
international
Under U.S. Pressure, India to Cut Iran Imports
In one of the worst boat tragedies in Assam, 103 people, including women and children, drowned and over 100 went missing. When a packed steamer carrying over 300 passengers sank in the Brahmaputra river after being caught in a severe storm midstream in this district on Monday. National Disaster Relief Force head Alok Jha said the bodies of 103 victims, including women and children, were recovered by the BSF and the NDRF personnel near Jaleswar. Deputy commissioner Kumud Chandra Kalita said about 25 people swam to safety after the double-decked ferry with over 300 people onboard was crossing the river from Dhubrighat when it capsized in the storm at 4.20pm. The bodies of the victims were kept at the Dhubri civil hospital, he said, adding the fate of the remaining passengers was not immediately known. The steamer had left Dhubri ferry ghat for Medartary in south bank of the district in the evening and capsized because of the impact of the storm. The Army, BSFs water wing, National Disaster Force and police armed with mechanised boats have
for Indias oil ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Obama administration made a renewed push late last year to strangle Irans oil trade in a bid to get Tehran to give up its nuclear program. Tehran says the program is for peaceful purposes. The European Union at the start of the year agreed to ban all oil imports from Iran from July 1. Other Asian importers such as China, Japan and South Korea also have trimmed imports in the first quarter of 2012. Indian officials, though, riled the U.S. by saying the country, which imports 80% of its crude and relies on Tehran for around a tenth of its Continued on page 15 >>
launched a massive rescue operation in the river but darkness, bad weather and strong current hampered search for possible survivors or the dead. President Pratibha Patil expressed grief over the loss of life while Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured the state government of all help for relief and fund for families of the deceased. Singh spoke to chief minister Tarun Gogoi to convey his condolences. Gogoi has ordered an inquiry and asked the district administration to look after the survivors. In another boat capsize, 12 people were missing when a boat sank in the same river at Jaleswar, officials said. The district administration has issued a red alert in view of the storm. The storm has resulted in the tragedies and we are taking all measures, Kalita said.
Qaeda chief was hunted down through a mobile phones SIM/chip which was found fortuitously. Mukhtar also revealed that Pakistan was bound by a contract with the United States to hand over all Arabic and English data Continued on page 10 >>
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Today is the fourth day of the operation in Lyari involving thousands of police. The people of Lyari are suffering as a result of this. There is no electricity or water and food shortages are widespread. The police action is forcing the residents to flee their homes. Political opponents of the presidents stepbrother, Tappi, such as Habib Jan Baloch and former leaders of Aman Committee are being targeted under the cover of an operation against
South Asia as a whole fared badly on the body mass index level with India, Bangladesh and Nepal having 47 %, 35% and 26% underweight adolescent girls respectively, according to the UNICEF Global Report card on Adolescents 2012. Indias demographic dividend might get negated with about half of adolescent girls reported unhealthy. According to the UNICEF Global Report card on Adolescents 2012 47% of adolescent girls aged 1519 in India were underweight with a body mass index of less than the prescribed level of 18.5. The south Asia region as a whole fared badly on the body mass index level with Bangladesh and Nepal having 35% and 26% underweight adolescent girls respectively. The global report listed India as a prime destination for adolescent girls to bear children. It found out that 22% of women aged 20-24 years gave birth before the
in five babies was born to an adolescent mother. On sexual behavior among adolescents, UNICEF found that girls were more likely than boys to have sex before age 15. Eight percent of adolescent girls in South Asia had sex before the age of 15. In India, 8% of adolescent girls had sex before the age 15 and 3% of adolescent males had sex before age 15. The south Asia average too was around the same lines. The highest overall rate for sex under age 15 is 17% among Latin American and the Caribbean. Brazil observed 33% adolescent girls to have experienced sex under the age of 15 and Haiti observed 42% adolescent boys to have experienced sex under the age of 15. On violence against women as wives, the UNICEF report found out that 57% of adolescent male in India supported wife beating while 53% of female adolescent too supported wife beating.
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a campaign-style speech to Americans declaring that the decade-long Afghan military intervention was winding down and a new chapter of relations was beginning. The Taliban militia announced their spring
Taliban attack today. As always, they kill Afghan civilians not foreign troops. Mr Obama had used his visit to deliver
offensive would begin across Afghanistan on Thursday. Code-named Al-Farouq, the primary targets of the offensive would be
war was ending during a visit to Afghanistan on the first anniversary of Osama bin Ladens death on Wednesday.
Afghanistans Twitter users were chattering about Barack Obamas unannounced visit several hours before his plane touched down. Apparently, the notion of secrecy is thinning down along with privacy with the advancement of technology. The first to suggest that the US president would be in Kabul was Afghanistans TOLOnews, the leading TV news station. The tweet became as the first crack in the veil of secrecy surrounding Obamas visit. While major news agencies, which were aware of the trip, remained silent, and American and Afghan officials were busy denying Obamas arrival, the Twittersphere was abuzz with rumors. The embassy says Obama is not in Kabul? They are probably being sly, and he is at a military base outside of the capital or has already left the country! was the speculative tone of the tweets. Official confirmation that the American leader is indeed in Afghanistan came late at night local time.
Justifying Washingtons support for bringing the Taliban into the peace talks, US Ambassador Cameron Munter said that the Afghanistan situation could not be solved by keeping Afghans out of talks. Talking to media at the second
annual dinner of the American Business Forum (ABF) at Royal Palm Golf and Country Club on Saturday, Ambassador Munter said that Afghanistans issues could be resolved only by the Afghan leadership and the US and Pakistan were only supporting them in the effort to get out of the ongoing crisis. To a question about the nonimplementation of promised Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs) in the tribal areas, the ambassador said, I admit this is a failure. He said that though there was a misconception between Pakistan and US, it can be overcome
through negotiations, people-topeople contacts and enhancing economic ties. He said that many senior Americans are coming to Pakistan for re-engagement on the economic and security fronts. On Hafiz Saeed, Ambassador Munter clarified that the US had not announced a bounty for the Lashkar-e-Taiba chief, but had, under the Right to Justice programme, offered rewards for information leading to the capture of anyone involved in terror activities and those on the United Nations list of declared terrorists. He also said that Hafiz Saeed was a probable suspect of the Mumbai terror attack. On this note, the ambassador said that, though the Pakistani media was doing a wonderful job, it had, in this case, misreported the facts. Earlier, addressing the gathering as chief guest of the ceremony, the ambassador said that US is firmly committed to its partnership with Pakistan a relationship that, he said, is built on a foundation of mutual interests, respect and trust. An important element of that relationship is trade, rather than aid, he added. An MoU was also signed for collaboration between USAID and ABF.
Afghanistans Taliban insurgents on Sunday denied that they had resumed talks with the United States, while the Afghan government insisted that the peace process was on track. The Taliban, who last month broke off contacts with the US in Qatar, said they would not resume talks until the Americans take constructive steps and fulfil promises which were agreed upon for confidence building. Among the confidence building measures proposed is the release of five Taliban leaders held at the US military prison in Guantanamo Bay. The statement, posted on the Taliban website, came just days after the US, Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed at a meeting in Islamabad to look at ways to provide safe passage to Taliban who are willing to join the peace process. That move was also rejected by the hardline Islamists, who said it was aimed at facilitating militants kowtowing to US demands in the name of supposed reconciliation talks. The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, hereby, strongly denounce such foul and horrendous rift-creating attempts, the Taliban said in a
separate statement by spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. But in Kabul on Sunday, the Afghan government said progress was being made in efforts to negotiate an end to the decade-long war. The peace process is still on track with the Taliban and also efforts are underway by the Afghan government for setting up a Taliban address in the Gulf state of Qatar, foreign ministry spokesman Janan Mosazai told a news conference. The Taliban, however, have always dismissed the idea of talks with the Afghan government, describing it as a puppet of the Americans. For its part, Washington has
consistently said that any talks with the Taliban to end the war could only take place with the agreement of the Afghan government, which eventually should lead the process. Mosazai said the idea of safe passage aimed to provide a guarantee to Taliban leaders and officials to safely approach the Afghan government or to travel from one country to another country to engage in direct negotiations with the Afghan government. Senior Taliban leaders operate from bases within neighbouring Pakistan, which the Afghan government accuses of supporting the militants.
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Minutes after the end of Sundays countrywide daylong shutdown, the opposition BNP issued a threat to enforce tougher movement from Tuesday if missing BNP leader M Ilias Ali does not return by Monday. The government has failed to find Ilias Ali until now. They are playing a new game by not returning Ilias, acting secretarygeneral Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said at a press briefing at the partys Naya Paltan headquarters in the capital. I would like to make it clear to the government that tougher agitation programme will be enforced if Ilias is not returned by Monday. Asked when the fresh programmes would be announced, he said, All at a suitable time. Bombs hit Bangladesh capital amid strike Ridiculing strict security measures during the opposition-sponsored shutdown, two hand bombs exploded inside the Secretariat on Sunday. There have been no reports of casualties. The bombs exploded around 3:45pm near Gate-2 of the seat of the government,
Stressing that people of Bangladesh wanted the Teesta water sharing accord signed with India, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni hopes that the pact will be inked, saying the two countries were continuing discussions on the issue. We are hopeful that the Teesta water sharing accord will be signed. The two countries have continued the bilateral relation and communication that is needed for the accord to see the light of the day, Moni told media persons on the sidelines of a programme in Kolkata. The visiting foreign minister said there exists a deep bond between the two neighbours, to queries
New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday asked the Bangladesh government to immediately conduct independent and impartial investigation into the growing number of cases where opposition members and political activists have vanished without trace. The most recent episode on April 17, 2012 involved Ilias Ali, secretary of the Sylhet Division of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the HRW said in a web post. Alis case is part of an alarming rise in such incidents, including those of opposition members and political activists. The Human Rights Watch recently expressed concern over the April 4 abduction and subsequent death of Aminul Islam, a prominent labor rights activist. Ain-O-Sailash Kendra, a leading human rights group in Bangladesh, has documented the disappearance of least 22 people in 2012 alone. According to Odhikar, another Dhakabased human rights group, more than 50 people have disappeared since 2010. The rise in disappearances, particularly of opposition members and activists, requires a credible
whether the failure to sign the Teesta accord would adversely hit bilateral ties. The relations between the two countries are deep, and there is a deep bonding between the two nations. And the dialogues and agreements between India and Bangladesh take place on the basis of the bond between us. Water is an important issue. And the people of Bangladesh want the Teesta accord to be signed, she said. The Teesta treaty was proposed to be signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singhs trip to Dhaka last year. However, the singing was scrapped following West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees last minute opposition to the quantum of water to be shared with Bangladesh. Moni said India-Bangladesh ties were now at their best. The relations between us is just like that which existed in 1971 when the Indian brothers and sisters helped the brothers and sisters of Bangladesh. On whether Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will meet Banerjee to dicuss the issue, she said: No such meeting is scheduled now.
his house in Banani in central Dhaka at around midnight on April 17. There has been no sign of Ali or his driver since then. Adams said that Prime Minister
forces, especially the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab). In its World Report 2012, Human Rights Watch noted that although the number of Rab killings had dropped following
end abuses and ensure justice and accountability, Adams said. But in spite of these public pledges, the government consistently dismisses or ignores evidence of abuses by the security forces. This is why an independent investigation into all cases of disappearances is urgently required. Human Rights Watch further expressed concern about apparent excessive use of force by the security forces against protesters throughout Bangladesh during a general strike called by the BNP to protest Alis disappearance. Since April 21, two protesters, Monwar Miya and another who is yet to be identified, have been killed in clashes between protesters and security forces. It said thousands more protesters have reportedly been injured and about one thousand have been arrested. Human Rights Watch called on the government to ensure a full and effective investigation into the two deaths, and ensure security forces only use the minimum necessary force to deal with violent crimes, as set out in the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials.
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Bhutan wants to use the seaports and airports of Bangladesh along with five new land customs (LC) stations under a proposed Protocol on Transit between Bangladesh and Bhutan, official sources said. Bhutan has recently sent the draft Protocol on Transit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) ahead of the Commerce Secretary-level meeting between the two South Asian countries, scheduled to be held in Thimphu on May 9 next. Bhutan is eager to strike a deal with Bangladesh to use our seaports and airports under a proposed protocol on transit, a high official at the MoFA told the FE on Sunday. He said as the issue was related to the function of the Ministry of Commerce (MoC), the draft protocol would soon be sent to MoC, with the specific observations of MoFA, for consideration. Currently, export and import between Bangladesh and Bhutan take place through two LC stations - Burimari and Tamabil. As per its proposal, Bhutan
has sought seven LC stations including the existing two for export, import and transit purposes. The proposed new stations are Moghalhat, Noonkhawa, Nakugaon, Haluaghat and Banglabandha. Bhutan, in the protocol, has also sought to use the countrys Chittagong seaport, Chittagong airport, Mongla seaport and Dhaka Hazrat Shahjalal International airport for transit purpose, according to the draft
protocol on transit between Bangladesh and Bhutan, a copy of which has been obtained by the FE. Bangladesh and Bhutan earlier signed a transit agreement in 1980, but it did not come into effect fully, as India failed to reach an agreement on giving Bhutan a corridor and to allow it to use a strip of the Indian territory. Besides, the lack of any operation modality, the transit agreement
said Bangladesh delegation at the forthcoming Commerce Secretary-level meeting would show its positive attitude towards transit between Bangladesh and Bhutan. Commerce Secretary Ghulam Hossain will lead a six-member delegation at the talks. The last Commerce Secretarylevel meeting between the two countries was held in August 2008 in Dhaka. Officials at the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) said the agenda for the trade talks was yet to be finalised. However, they hinted that increasing trade volume between the two countries as well as facilitating bilateral business through establishing connectivity would get top priority at the meeting. Bangladesh exports to Bhutan items like ready-made garments, pharmaceuticals, melamine, toilet soap, dry food, fruit juice and mineral water. On the other hand, Bhutan exports products like fresh fruits, paper and paper boards, crushed stones, coffee and spices to Bangladesh.
The price of goods and services in the first quarter of this year, ending March 31, has increased by 9.4 percent, compared with the same period last year according to the National Statistical Bureaus consumer price index. Changes in average retail price of 363 consumer goods and services purchased by Bhutanese households in the 23 urban centres and townships in the country are captured to produce the quarterly price index. According to the latest CPI bulletin, price of food items went up by more than 11 percent, and non-food products by more than eight percent, compared to the same period last year. Food and non alcoholic beverages were up by more than 10 percent, alcoholic beverages and narcotic products by just under 28 percent, clothing and footwear by close to 14 percent, household maintenance and services by around 19 percent, fuels by around six percent, and transportation and transport services by around 9.5
Bhutan: Inflation climbs to Bhutan India to update 9.4 percent in first quarter air service agreement
The information and communications ministry (MoIC) will meet their Indian counterparts to update the air service agreement between Bhutan and India . A bilateral air service agreement is an agreement between two countries to allow international commercial percent. At the sub group level, the price of doma and pani, which is classified as a narcotic, went up by almost 48 percent, Bhutanese and imported spices by more than 24 percent, domestically produced alcohol by 25 percent, and vegetables by more than 13 percent. The overall price movement in the first three months of this year increased by three percent, compared with the previous quarter (October, November, December), where price increases were less than two percent. In the food group, the price of fruits saw the highest increases, by more than 32 percent from the previous quarter, largely as a result of the end of the fruit season in Bhutan, and the arrival of imported fruits, the CPI bulletin says. The purchasing power of the ngultrum (PPN), as measured by the CPI, was recorded at 59 chhetrum for the first quarter ending March. This means Nu 100 in the first quarter of 2012 was worth only Nu 59 at 2003 prices, which is used as the base year to measure price changes. NSB officials said that only a few aspects of the inflationary trends that set in after the central bank began rationing the Indian Rupee were captured in the first quarter bulletin. This is because change in prices is normally captured on a monthly basis.
the frequency of flights between Bhutan and India, and allowing Bhutanese airlines to fly onwards to other destinations after making a stop in India, such as Singapore will be discussed. With Bhutan Airlines scheduled to begin international operations in
air transport between the two territories. An air service agreement also includes specifics such as how many flights are permitted in a given period. MoIC secretary Dasho Kinley Dorji said that issues such as increasing
September, MoIC will also seek to include the designation of the private airline as a Bhutanese operator. The bilateral air service agreement between the two countries was last updated in 2008 under a memorandum of understanding.
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of Afghanistans mining sector. After winning three of four blocks on offer, it is looking at six petroleum blocks in northern Afghanistan and copper mines in four different parts of the country. China has won the lucrative Aenak copper mine, but faces the same problem as India and Pakistan: some regions are plagued by conflict and the others are placid. Mr. Krishna and Mr. Rassoul were speaking to journalists after chairing the first meeting of the Indo-Afghan Partnership Council, which was
envisaged in the strategic partnership agreement Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed seven months ago. The Partnership Council, to be chaired by the Foreign Ministers, will have four working groups to flesh out the aims expressed in the strategic partnership agreement: capacity-building in the security, education and civil society sectors and scouting for opportunities
Ban Ki-moon praised India for achieving many of its MDG ahead of schedule even as he sought to rope in the Indian private sector towards achieving the social goals that were set in 2000 and have to be achieved by 2015. Ban, who flew into Mumbai yesterday morning, attended a dinner party hosted by Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani at the latters residence, Antilla, last evening in Mumbai where he met the cream of Indian business. Earlier in the day, he met chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, health minister Suresh Shetty, and other officers from the health department, where he lauded India for cutting down its maternal mortality and infant mortality. He said that India had already achieved the target set for 2015, Chavan said. But there remain some concerns vis--vis India, the primary one
being its skewed sex ratio. Chavan said he asked the UN secretary general to let India know of any country that has successfully curbed a skewed sex ratio. Any best practices elsewhere we are willing to adopt, Chavan added. The CM said the state officials informed him about some schemes that India has adopted to improve healthcare such as the Janini Suraksha Yojana for poor pregnant women, the Rajiv Gandhi Jivandayi Yojana which provides healthcare to the poor, and Matrutva Anudaan Yojana, aimed at the poor tribal belts. Ban also praised India for raising its budgetary allocation for health, which now stood at 2.5% of the GDP, and Maharashtra, which had allocated 3.8% of the GSDP for health.The visit is to recognise the progress that Indias society, government, and private sector have made together in improving maternal and children healthcare, said Eri Kaneko, associate spokesperson for the secretary general. A state official also said that seeking the help of the private sector was a part of the UNs strategy and did not in any way reflect a disappointment with the Indian governments efforts in ensuring better healthcare for all its citizens.
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when police came under heavy gunfire and rocket attacks while progressing deeper into the areas near Cheel Chowk and Baghdadi colony. Ten people were injured when a mini rocket propelled grenade landed on the upper story of a hotel in Lea Market. Police shifted the injured to a near-by hospital for treatment. During the past four days, more
fighting as they relocate from the violence-ridden area. At the entry and exit points of Lyari , people were seen waiting in their cars for their relatives, desperate to flee the fighting in one of the oldest localities in the port city of Karachi. Approximately 150 families from neighbourhoods affected by the operation including Agra Taj Colony, Afshani Gali, Shah Abdul
the previous day. The police tried to disperse the protesters with tear gas but they remerged in clusters from Niazi Chowk and other streets. They also beat up the passengers and looted them. The hide-and-seek with the police continued till the evening. In the afternoon, the Baloch residents from the outskirts of Malir and Baldia, and other parts of the city, made their way to the
than 20 people, as well as six security personnel, have lost their lives in the aggressive operation. Meanwhile, hundreds of Lyari residents continued to flee the
Latif Road, Ghas Mandi, Gul Mohammad Lane, Aath Chowk, Cheel Chowk, and other parts of Lyari were reported to have relocated to safer parts of the city
press club stuffed in more than six buses and motorcycles. Young men wearing shalwar qameez and with their faces covered attacked other protesters who had set up
Sanghar, Mirpurkhas, Tandojam and other districts protested against the operation and members of nationalist parties observed hunger strikes on Monday.
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On the fth day of the Lyari operation, the Sindh government invited all gangs involved in the Lyari violence to the table for negotiations if they agreed to surrender and lay down arms. The In charge of the so called operation CID SSP Ch Aslam who is known for his Maa like style claimed today that the operation will be nalized tonight on Wednesday as its only 20% remain. As the police and resistance forces in Lyari continued to face off for the fth consecutive day in Chakiwara, members of civil society and political parties voiced their protest against the operation and sent food for the hemmed in neighbourhood. The operation has claimed 33 lives so far, including six policemen. Over 60 people have been injured as a result of the operation. To add to the Sindh Governments losses, the operation is proving to be a nancial burden too, with daily costs running into hundreds of thousands of rupees. According to estimates, bullets worth Rs 5 million have been used, so far. For the operation, around 2,000 personnel have been deployed around Lee Market, Cheel Chowk and other surrounding areas. In order to keep the personnel fed, the per meal menu includes biryani with juice, qorma and roti with juice, or aloo gosht and roti with juice, at an approximate daily cost of Rs0.4 million. Trading activities have been badly affected since the operation against criminals started in the Lyari Town with the businessmen claiming losses worth over Rs 10 billion during the last eight
UK Lawyers Committee for Human rights and justice in Pakistan held a press on conference in London Tuesday and offered options for solution for the crises. Barrister Sibghat Kadri QC a renowned Lawyer and Lord Nazir Ahmed asked Pakistan Government to immediately stop so called operation and political victimization in Lyari. As state-sponsored oppression is creating anarchy and its one sided. They disclosed that Step brother of President Zardari is supervising the operation. The situation has also been complicated because step brother of zardari, Owais Muzafar Tappi is in charge. Sindh Home Minister Manzoor Wassan was sidelined and the IG Police was brought out as the public face. Sibghat Kadri also wrote an open letter to Interior Minister of Pakistan and warned him if due to his personal vengeance any leader of the Friends of Lyari got killed due to head money , they will prosecute Rehman Malik in UK. They claim a leader of Friends of Lyari Habib Jan who is British Citizen is under grave threat by Rehman Malik, who is also a UK resident and he is behind this operation and he involved Habib jans name into false cases and
now after head money any one of them got killed by Pakistani forces then Rehman malik will be prosecuted in Britain. Sibghat Kadri and Lord Nazri pleaded to the Chief Justice to take Sou Moto and Army Chief to intervened. At the press conference they offered if Army take control of the situation they will make it sure the friends of Lyari will surrender in peace. In Pakistan members of civil society and political parties voiced their protest against the operation. This operation is meant to create hurdles for the City Alliance of political and religious parties, said Dr Hasan Raza Memon of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) at a press conference on Tuesday. It is being conducted to make one ally happy but will lead to ethnic clashes in different parts of Pakistan. The joint action committee of over 20 different non-governmental organisations appealed to the government to immediately end the operation, saying that thousands of innocent people were stuck without food, medicine, power, water and basic necessities of life. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawazs (PML-N) youth wing, led by Asif Khan, organised a rally in which MNA Nabeel Gabol was excoriated. The former city Nazim and president of the alKhidmat Foundation, Niamatullah Khan, accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of using state-sponsored oppression to crush an uprising among its former armed loyalists. He was speaking at the Jamaat-eIslami (JI) press conference. They cant afford to lose Lyaris provincial and national assembly seats so they have turned the area into a battleeld, alleged Khan. Continued on page 30 >>
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The supreme court on Tuesday decided to adjudicate itself the pleas of Rajiv Gandhi killers against their death penalty due to the delay of over 11 years in deciding their mercy petitions by the President. A bench headed by Justice G S Singhvi directed that their petitions, pending with the Madras High Court, be sent to it and listed the case for hearing on July 10. The court passed the order on a petition by one L K Venkat seeking transfer of their pleas out of Tamil Nadu on his fears that the free and fair hearings would not possible in the state due to the surcharged atmosphere, favouring the death row convicts. The Tamil Nadu government earlier on October 10, 2011 had opposed the plea to shift the case out of the Madras High Court denying the allegations that the atmosphere in the state was too vitiated and surcharged to hold a free and fair hearing in the case Senior counsel Ram Jethmalani, appearing for the three death row convicts - Santhan, Murugan and Perarivalan alias Arivu, too had opposed the transfer plea on the
submitted that a free and fair hearing of the proceedings cannot be held in the Madras High Court owing to the surcharged, hostile and vitiated atmosphere prevailing there. On a petition by the three death row convicts, the Madras High Court had earlier stayed their hanging and had issued notices to the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government. The three convicts had challenged before the high court, the sentence despite the same having been upheld earlier by the apex court and
the President having rejected their mercy pleas subsequently. Venkat subsequently had moved the apex court seeking transfer of their appeals out of the state high court and the apex court had issued notices on his petition to the state. Venkat had alleged in his plea that
the convicts appeals challenging their death sentences cannot be heard in a free and fair atmosphere in the state as several supporters of the banned LLTE were interfering with the functioning of the judiciary by raising slogans in support of the convicts.
Increasing Talibanisation of Pakistan and shifting of terror focus from Af-Pak region would pose a serious security threat to India in the next two years, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne said here Saturday. If the American troops and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) withdraw from Afghanistan as planned, 2013-14 are going to be crucial watershed years for India as far as the security of our western border is concerned, Browne hinted. Noting that the emergence of Pakistani Taliban and Punjabi Taliban would pose a real threat to India, Browne said if the situation in the Af-Pak region deteriorated after the allied forces withdraw, these (Taliban) elements may shift close to the Wagah border. Our fear is that we may have these forces very close to the Wagah border to deal with because the focal point of al-Qaida and
Taliban threat from Af-Pak real, warns Air chief marshal Browne
Taliban has dramatically shifted very fast from Afghanistan to Af-Pak border and North West Frontier Province to the heart of Pakistan, Browne said delivering the sixth Air Chief Marshal L M Katre Memorial Lecture at the HAL convention centre here. Referring to the terror outfit Jamaat-ud-Dawah founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeeds speech at a seminar in Peshwar last week, the Air Chief said the game-
plan of Taliban forces and terror elements in Af-Pak region was to target Kashmir after liberating Kabul from allied forces.
It is Kabul now we are dealing with. The moment we resolve that, we will take over the next phase to liberate Kashmir from Jammu & Kashmir state, Browne quoted Saeed as saying. Admitting that unresolved borders with Pakistan and China were a baggage from the past, Browne said as a security concern, the convoluted borders were a point of friction with both the neighbouring countries who also collude in sharing
conventional and missile technology to develop nuclear and conventional weapons. I cant think of any other model in the world where you are dealing with this kind of situation with two nuclear powered neighbouring countries having border issues with us as a common cause for point of friction, Browne told a gathering of about 500 members from the aeronautical community and air force families. The Air Force Association (Karnataka branch) organises every year the Lakshman Madhav Katre Memorial Lecture in memory of the former air chief (1984-85) who was also chairman of the defence behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in 1983. HAL chairman R K Tyagi and Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) director P S Krishnan also spoke on the occasion.
As India emerges as the third largest market for US foreign military sales (FMS), the new US ambassador to India, Nancy Powell, said on Friday that the two countries are poised to sign an additional $8 billion deal in direct commercial and foreign military Powell said that US-India partnership has experienced one of the highest growth rates in the Pacific. With the C-17 and C-130J sale, we have more than doubled our total foreign military sales and posted sales making India the third largest FMS market for 2011, she said, addressing the 20th annual
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will be a significant boost for US jobs and exports and the Indian aviation sector. The fuel-efficient Dreamliners are a key component of Air Indias restructuring plan as India positions itself to become a global aviation hub, she said.
Family and friends of Khalil Dale, the British aid worker killed in Pakistan, paid tribute to him, describing him as amongst the most gentle, most kind and most loving person we have ever known.
Hamid Shakeel, the Quetta police chief said the method by which he was killed indicated the involvement of the Pakistan Taliban. In a statement his family spoke of the "senseless and brutal way in which our beloved Khalil was murdered". The UK government and the International Committee of the Red Cross have said every effort was made to free him. The family statement came from Mr Dale's brother Ian, his friends Zia and Dora and fiancee Anne. It said: "During Khalil's abduction and following his death, there has been an overwhelming flood of support, kindness and love from all cor-
ners of the globe, and we are very humbled and grateful for this empathy and solidarity. "In particular, we wish to thank the Red Cross and Red Crescent family across the world for their support and for their focus throughout on Khalil's safe release. "We have been with them throughout this ordeal, and we know they share our grief." British PM 'deeply saddened' by murder of aid worker in Pakistan Prime Minister David Cameron has called the killing of a kidnapped British Red Cross worker a "shocking and merciless act." Khalil Dale was found dead in Quetta, Pakistan on Sunday, four months after he was abducted by armed men Prime Minister David Cameron said: "I was deeply saddened to hear about the brutal murder of Khalil Dale - a man who was killed whilst providing humanitarian support to others. This was a shocking and merciless act, carried out by people with no respect for human life and the rule of law.
Mr Dale, 60, was kidnapped in Quetta, Pakistan, in January and his body was found in the town on Sunday. Mr Dale, a 60-year-old Muslim convert, was taken hostage by suspected pro-Taliban fighters in one of the most troubled regions of the country. He was managing a health programme in Quetta, Baluchistan, and had previously been awarded an MBE for his humanitarian work. His remains were found beside a road outside the city wrapped tightly in cellophane inside a plastic bag. An unsigned note said he had been killed because a ransom had not been paid and that a video would soon be released of his execution.
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Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani asserted on Sunday that no premier belonging to the PPP would write a letter to Swiss authorities to reopen graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. We will not budge from our constitutional stance, come what may, he said while talking to a group of lawyers at his residence here. The prime minister termed PML-N an opportunist party and said its president (Nawaz Sharif) was trying to confuse the people over the Supreme Courts verdict in the contempt of court case.
have always taken the PML-N along and accommodated it, but it always
I will not succumb to any pressure, Mr Gilani said, adding that only the parliament could decide if he would continue to serve as the prime minister. Raja Amir said that the prime minister had told lawyers that he had received more congratulatory messages after the Supreme Court judgment than when he was elected the prime minister. Federal Law Minister Farooq H. Naek also called on the prime minister at his residence here and discussed some legal matters with regard to his conviction.
The World Banks Board of Directors on Thursday approved two projects totalling $550 million aimed at supporting Pakistans efforts to strengthen education and natural gas sectors, which are critical to Pakistans growth and development. The $350 million Second Punjab Education Sector Project will support the Punjab governments education sector reform programmeme which is designed to increase child school participation and student achievement. The $200 million Natural Gas Efficiency Project aims at enhancing the supply of natural gas by reducing physical and commercial losses in the pipeline system. Significant shortfalls persist in both school participation and student
achievement in Punjab. To address these challenges, the Punjab government is implementing the Punjab Education Sector Reform Programme (PESRP), which aims at improving schooling outcome through institutional development and strengthening, improved monitoring and enhanced governance and accountability. The WB has supported this programme since 2008. During this time, the reform programme has put in place and strengthened
important initiatives. Over 850,000 additional students - more than half of them girls are now enrolled in low cost private schools supported under government subsidies tied to minimum school quality standards; some 400,000 female students receive quarterly stipends tied to school attendance; and free textbooks are provided to all students in public schools. The new results-based project will build on these achievements and support the second phase of the
reform programme over the period 2012-2015. With a target school-aged population of over 12 million children, 30 percent of who remain out of school and with relatively low levels of learning, continuation of our support to the governments reform programme is critical, said Rachid Benmessaoud, World Bank country director for Pakistan. The second phase of the programme aims to take the next evolutionary step and zero in on improving service delivery performance at the school level. A key focus will be improving teacher quality and performance, which is critical for better school quality, and, thereby helping retain students in school and attract new children to school.
As the Grand Operation in Lyari entered its third day on Sunday, the Sindh Home Ministry issued warrants for arrest of 8 people including the outlawed Peoples Amn Committee chief Uzair Baloch, DawnNews reported. Other members of the banned organization against whom the warrants were issued include Habib Jan Baloch, Taj Mohammad aka Taju, Noor Mohammad alias Baba Ladla. Law enforcement Agencies have been directed to capture the men dead or alive. In this regard the police have prepared to conduct raids at various hideouts of the blacklisted Peoples Amn Committee and all routes leading to Afshan Gali and Gabol Park have been sealed. Moreover, the Central Investigation Departments (CID) Operation and Investigation departments have been ordered to report in Lyari as well.
Warrants issued for arrest of Habib Jan, Uzair Baloch and others
Provincial president of the Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) Shahzain Bugti surrendered to authorities in Quetta on Saturday, DawnNews reported. Bugti surrendered along with his 26 guards with whom he had been implicated in an illegal arms possession case in Dec 2010. Speaking to media representatives prior to surrendering to authorities, Bugti said that although he had been implicated in a bogus case, he was prepared to face
the courts. The JWPs provincial president further said that he was being arrested but those responsible for the killing of Akbar Bugti were not being punished. The case stems from Bugtis arrest of Dec 22, 2010. Security forces had arrested Bugti along with 26 of his personal guards and had recovered a huge quantity of illegal arms and ammunition when the JWP leader was driving with his convoy from the town of Chaman.
US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron P Munter has blamed the Pakistani media for misreporting the issue of Hafiz Saeed and said the US government did not announce any bounty specifically for the Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief. Pakistani media is very active and responsible but it misreported the issue of Hafiz Saeed. Though Hafiz Saeed is a suspected accused of the Mumbai terror attacks, the US government didnt place any bounty/head money for him, the US diplomat said. Munter was replying to media queries after addressing the annual
dinner of the American Business Forum (ABF) at the Royal Palm Golf and Country Club here on Saturday. He said the reward was based on information received that could lead to arrest or conviction of any UN declared terrorist (not specifically Hafiz Saeed) of any country, the
Dawn newspaper reported on Sunday. On Afghan peace efforts, the US envoy said a trilateral meeting of Pakistan, US and Afghanistan was recently held in Islamabad to discuss the situation. Though the role of Pakistan and US is to assist the process of dialogue, Afghanistan itself has to make a solution to this issue finally, he added. Hafiz Saeed, founder of the Lashkare-Toiba militant group, is accused of masterminding the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008 that resulted in the deaths of 166 people.
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Maldives new government is not inclined to pursuing politics of revenge and does not intend to arrest ousted president Mohamed Nasheed, the countrys new Vice President, Mohamed Waheed Deen, said on Monday. Speaking at a press conference, a day after delivering his maiden address to a nation in political turmoil, Deen said he had assumed the office to bail water out of a sinking boat. Deen used his first address to list development and socio-economic requirements as his governments frontal priorities. Answering questions from the media today, he said the current government does not intend to take revenge on any particular person. The current government will not take revenge on anyone. I can say with confidence that President Waheed (Hassan) has no such plan, and neither do I, said Deen, who was also part of the former administration of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. When asked if the government might arrest Mohamed Nasheed, Deen said the government is not interested in sending the former president to prison: The
government isnt trying to send Nasheed to prison. We wont do that in the future either. Its not something we want to do, he
said. Deen said earlier too he had joined former president Gayooms
administration with an aim to lift it out of a crisis. People said when I joined Gayooms administration, that I had just got on-board a sinking ship. I told them, I went onboard to bail out the boat. Once again I am onboard to bail out the boat, and I will bail with all my might, he said. In his address to the nation yesterday, Deen said development and civilisation in the country should be informed by Islamic values and customs. He said all leaders of the country must strive to preserve the Islamic faith in the people, for Islam is the most civilised religion. He called for a deep reflection on the deteriorating social conditions of the Maldives. The political situation will not improve, unless the socioeconomic situation improves, he said, pointing out that a lot of development work needed to be done. He stressed the importance of education and proposed longterm education loans in the country, besides empowering sports associations to build future leaders.
Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom said that though the Maldives was a member of the Commonwealth, in reality the country had no basis for its membership. Speaking during the commemoration of the passing away of former Foreign Minister Fathulla Jameel, Friday highlighting the efforts of Fathulla to gain membership of Commonwealth for the Maldives, Gayoom noted that most of the States included in the Commonwealth had been former British colonies. However, as the Maldives was never a British colony but had been under the protection of the British, Maldives had no basis to be a member of the Commonwealth. Gayoom further stressed that unlike neighbors Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan, the British had never ruled in the Maldives. He highlighted that even when the Maldives was under the protection of the British, there was never a British ruler stationed in the Maldives unlike in countries like India and Sri
A bill to withdraw the membership of the Maldives from the Commonwealth has been submitted to the Parliament by Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP). The bill was submitted on behalf of PPM by Gemanafushi constituency MP Ahmed Ilham while Vilufushi constituency MP Riyaz Rasheed represented DQP. Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) had issued a warning to take stronger measures against the Maldives if the composition of the National Enquiry Commission established to investigate the events that led to the change in Government is not revised. Speaking to the press after submitting the bill to the Parliament Riyaz explained that the action was taken as the Commonwealth was attempting to protect the interests of one party
without determining the reality of the situation. Riyaz further detailed that the principles of the Commonwealth was to act in accordance with the laws of a nation in question and accused the organization of violating its principles. Ilham said that he did not believe that withdrawing from the Commonwealth was the best option but stressed that the decision to submit the bill was taken in consideration of the issues that the country might have to face in future. The bill stipulates that the from 60 days of the ratification of the bill, Maldives would be withdrawn from the Commonwealth. In addition, once the Maldives withdraws from the Commonwealth and wishes to rejoin later, it can only be done after authorization from a law passed by the Parliament.
withdraw its membership from the Commonwealth. Gayoom revealed that though the member States of the Commonwealth included nations that had been formerly under British rule, he had requested membership for the Maldives in 1982 as the organization was renowned for its assistance for smaller nations. He highlighted that even at present the majority of the members of the Commonwealth were small nations and claimed that 27 out of the total of 54 member states were small
nations. Gayoom further noted that though the advocating for the rights of smaller nations was facilitated in the Commonwealth, the Commonwealth was different to what it had been previously. Commonwealth had encouraged and offered assistance to nations that had gained independence at the time. However, the times are very much different now. The policies of the Commonwealth are very much different these days. When we had joined the Commonwealth
it had given precedence to smaller nations, he detailed. He also highlighted that the Commonwealth had been an organization that had facilitated and assisted smaller nations in gaining independence and sovereignty. However, the actions of the Commonwealth have changed since then, to a point where we now have to have a rethink about the whole situation. Thats how much the world has changed now. At present the smaller nations have been subject to the influence of larger and established nations. Such influence have now even spread into these organizations as well. So the present Commonwealth is not the same organization it was before, said Gayoom criticizing the changes that have to come to pass in the Commonwealth. Gayoom also accused that the Commonwealth that had been originally advocating for the rights of smaller nations, had now become very much influenced by larger and more powerful nations.
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how you can conduct a very high quality prevention of blindness programme at low cost and make it sustainable, said Ruit, the centres founder and medical director. If you can do it in Nepal it can be done anywhere in the world. Ruit said an estimated 20 million people were blind from cataracts globally. Another 60 million are at various stages of blindness, many of them in developing countries and unable to afford expensive surgery to restore their sight.
Ruit and his team of doctors at the centre have developed a simple surgical technique involving little equipment and instruments that can be used manually. No stitches are needed, and the technique can be used on a simple table in field camps. Low cost acrylic lenses are produced at the centres laboratory by workers wearing bio-safe masks, helping bring the cost down to $4 per lens from more than $100 apiece for the imported kind used previously.
Japans foreign minister has met Nepals top officials in Katmandu and agreed to give the Himalayan nation money to develop food production. Koichiro Gemba met Nepals President Rambaran Yadav, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai and Foreign Minister Narayankaji Shrestha on Sunday before
The coalition partners UCPNMaoist and United Democratic Madhesi Front(UDMF) decided on Monday to concentrate on the statute-drafting process, the immediate need of hour, rather than being vexed by the issue of forming a national consensus government. In the meeting which was convened at the Prime Ministers official residence in Balwatar, Maoists and Terai-based parties vowed to keep the alliance firm and at the same time exhibit maximum flexibility on the concerns shown by two big opposition parties over the change of guard. We are not obstacle to the unity government but this is not a favorable time, Madhesi leaders were heard saying so emerging
from todays meeting. The meeting of ruling coalition partners was called to form a common stance over the issue of change of guard, brought in by oppositions citing the cause of the timely statute during Sundays meet over the issue of federating country and the forms of governance. Weighing NC and the UMLs desire to form a national unity government (at this stage when only 28 days are left to meet the deadline to promulgate a new constitution) as an attempt to hinder the progress achieved in statute drafting process, the partners also decided to focus on resolving the thorny issues --federalism and forms of governancetroubling the statute drafting process.
Amid differing positions of the three major parties on number of federal states in the new setup, the UCPN (Maoist) on Thursday proposed a 10state federal model based primarily on ethnic identity. The Maoists propose to keep Chitwan district as a centrally-administered zone. The proposal has, however, largely failed to impress the Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML, which are averse to the idea of ethnicity-based federal states. These two parties have alleged that the proposal goes against the understanding reached at Hattiban Resort to limit the number of federal states to between 6 and 8. According to UML leader Surendra Pandey, Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal floated the 10-state model during a meeting of the three major parties and the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) held at the Constituent Assembly (CA) building at New Baneshwor, Thursday afternoon.
The proposed federal states include Limbuwan-Mechi, Kirant-Koshi, Tamsaling-Indrawati, Newa-Bagmati, Tamuwan-Gandaki, MagaratDhaulagiri, Karnali, Seti-Mahakali, Tharuwan-Lumbini and MadhesBirat. We have proposed a federal model based on the reports of the CAs thematic committee on state restructuring and State Restructuring Commission and the demands coming in from various quarters to ensure ethnic identity, said Maoist leader Post Bahadur Bogati. The Maoists propose to keep Dhankuta, Terhathum, the hill area of Morang, part of Sankhuwasabha
and Dharan in the Limbuwan-Mechi federal state. Likewise, the Limbuwan region including areas lying from east of the Likhu River to the Arun River have been proposed for Kirant-Koshi. While the Tamsaling-Indrawati federal state covers areas west from Ramechhap to the Budhi Gandaki, Newa-Bagmati will have Kathmandu Valley and Banepa and Dhulikhel. The Maoist proposal keeps areas between Gorkha and the Kali Gandaki except the southern part of Tanahu in Tamuwan-Gandak, areas from the southern belt of Syangja to the west of Kali Gandaki and stretching up to Rukum district in Magarat-
aware that the federal states would have to run on revenue collected from within their respective boundaries. The proposal is not acceptable, he said. Party leaders are to sit again for talks Friday afternoon after holding bilateral and trilateral meetings among the parties from morning. We have decided to undertake necessary homework and discussions within the party before sitting for further talks with the Maoists Friday, said NC CWC member Pushpa Bhusal. UML leader Bhim Rawal, who is closely involved in inter-party negotiations, said the proposal is against the understanding reached at Hattiban Resort to have 6 to 8 states based on economic viability and identity. Rawal alleged that the Maoists have backtracked by proposing 10 federal states, and almost all based on ethnic identity. The UML is scheduled to hold internal discussions to decide an official party stance on the Maoist proposal.
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President Rajapaksa stressed that he will not permit intl conspirators to create disputes & destabilize the country, under any circumstances. He said Lanka is one of the oldest democracies in Asia & honours all kinds of democratic norms & practices. We will never deny the peoples right to change governments through Universal Adult Franchise, he said. President Rajapaksa was addressing the May Day rally of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance at the Colombo Municipal Council grounds yesterday. Thousands of people irrespective of political and other differences
kept streaming in from Campbell Park, Borella, from where the rally commenced yesterday noon. President Rajapaksa said that the working masses in Sri Lanka are so intelligent they would not fall prey to certain segments trying to destabilize the country. He said certain individuals were trying to destabilize the country by using the working masses as a cats paw but the masses did not fall prey to their designs. Some such individuals do not have a country or a particular name but some countries are in the process of inciting them, he said. The President stressed the importance of increasing
Leader of Sri Lankas Opposition and United National Party (UNP) Ranil Wickremasinghe says the country and the people are in need of an early political settlement that would address the needs of all communities. Addressing the UNPs joint May Day rally held with the major Tamil party Tamil national Alliance (TNA) at the St. Roches Ground in Jaffna yesterday, Wickremasinghe said a homegrown solution needed to be formulated to resolve the national issue. He added that the solution should be formulated before the end of term of the current parliament. A joint procession commenced from the Nallur Kovil in Gurunagar and proceeded to the St. Roches Ground where the rally was held. The joint rally commenced with the leaders of the two opposition parties hoisting the national flag. Speaking to the massive crows, Wickremasinghe said the war is over and the people have suffered enough and are in need of a solution to their problems. According to Wickremasinghe, it is the governments failure to resolve the national issue that had resulted in UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) passing a resolution calling on the government to find a political solution in line with the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations.
Sri Lanka Opposition Leader calls for a homegrown solution to resolve national issue
However, the Opposition Leader added that Sri Lanka should not allow the matter to be internationalized. The Opposition Leader said that if sincerity of purpose was shown, the UNP would consider participating in the Parliamentary Select Committee set up by the Sri Lankan President to reach a solution to the national issue. TNA leader R. Sampanthan addressing the rally said all Tamil parties are committed to devolution within a united Sri Lanka and his party is willing to work with the government to resolve the ethnic issue. However, he said the government should not waste time. UNP Parliamentarians Tissa Attanayake, Ravi Karunanayaka, John Amaratunga, Gamini Jayawickrama Perera, Mrs. Vijayakala Maheswaran and K.Velayutham, TNAs Mavai Senathiraja, DPF leader Mano Ganesan, and New Sihala Urumaya leader Sarath Manamendra also participated in the event.
Sri Lanka and South Korea considably strengthened inter-parliamentary co-operation as an essence in further promoting close bonds of friendship between the two countries. Both parties acknowledged the vibrant multifaceted bilateral partnership built over the years since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1977 and agreed to reinforce the institutional framework for co-operation by setting up a mechanism for regular bilateral policy consultations at official level, the External Affairs Ministry said in a release yesterday following President Mahinda Rajapaksas successful state visit to South Korea. On arrival at the Seoul National Airport, the President and the Sri Lanka delegation were received by high-level officials of the Korean government and was accorded a ceremonial welcome by the South Korean military with 21 gun salutes. President Lee and First Lady Kim received President Rajapaksa and First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa at Blue House, the official residence of the
favourably consider Sri Lankas request to enhance the quantum of development assistance so far extended. President Lee commended the successful leadership given by President Rajapaksa, in eradicating the forces of terrorism that plagued the country for nearly three decades and bringing peace and stability to the nation which brought with it a conducive environment for economic
of Sri Lankas current investment climate and President Lee, registered the keen interest of Korean entrepreneurs and corporate sector to engage in a deeper and broader bilateral economic partnership to help chart the future course of business and trade interactions between the two countries. The Korean President also acknowledged the contribution made
by the Sri Lanka expat labour force to the Korean economy and informed of their desire to increase the current quota given to Sri Lanka. President Rajapaksa, in response sought the assistance of competent teachers in the education centers being established to enhance Korean language skills which would provide a competitive advantage for the Sri Lanka labour force to enter the Korean job market. He encouraged a wider representation of the Korean business community in the trade and investment activities in Sri Lanka, with particular reference to the new thrust areas of information communication technology, nanotechnology, pharmaceuticals and international arbitration sectors that have now opened up. On the sidelines of the official visit, President Rajapaksa met CEOs of corporate giants such as Samsung, Hyundai, Keangnam, Lotte and Hanjin. These corporate leaders expressed a keen interest in establishing a wider in-depth partnership with Sri Lanka.
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India and Japan will hold their first economic dialogue and sixth strategic talks on Monday to impart a renewed momentum to burgeoning multi-faceted ties and to resolve issues for starting civil nuclear cooperation between them. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna will co-chair the two dialogues with his Japanese counterpart Koichiro Gemba, who began a two-day visit to New Delhi Sunday evening. The strategic dialogue will encompass a range of bilateral and global issues, including the prospects of civil nuclear cooperation, maritime security and the evolving East Asia regional security architecture. In the strategic dialogue, the two sides will review all aspects of the bilateral strategic and global partnership and discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest, said the External Affairs Ministry ahead of the talks. During his visit to India December
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nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation, Noda had said at a joint press conference with Dr. Manmohan Singh after the talks.
initiative that enjoys the backing of the prime ministers of the two countries. Commerce and Industry Minister
Anand Sharma and Japans Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yukio Edano will participate in the economic dialogue. The two sides will also hold a separate energy dialogue, to be led by Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia from the Indian side, to explore ways to enhance cooperation in renewable energy and clean coal technologies. The economic dialogue is aimed at imparting strategic and longterm policy orientation to their bilateral economic engagement and to coordinate economic issues of cross-cutting nature, including infrastructure development and financing. The dialogue will focus on expanding trade and investment which got a big boost after the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement came into force Aug 1 last year. Bilateral trade is currently around $15 billion, with both sides setting a target of $25 billion by 2014.
With his steel projects making little progress in India, steel tycoon Lakshmi N Mittal on Sunday said the nation remains on priority list for his company, ArcelorMittal, but may have slipped low down on its investment list with focus shifting to projects in Canada and Brazil. India is clearly on our priority list but it may be very low in our
investment list. It depends on progress of the project, how we see things in 5 years, Mittal, Chairman of ArcelorMittal, the worlds biggest steel, said here. ArcelorMittal has so far been able to acquire only 1,800 acres out of 2,800 acres of land required for its proposed Rs 30,000 crore, 6 million tonnes a year Karnataka steel project. Its plans to build two mega steel mills of 12 million tonne capacity each in Jharkhand and Odisha, too, havent seen much progress. If projects dont make progress,
investment will slow down, he said. If a project is not making progress, we will not be investing. We have a very rigorous capital allocation system in the company, Mittal said. ArcelorMittal, he said, had emerging markets like India on top of its priority list but when it comes to investment, if we do not see progress, it goes down in the list of allocation. Mittal, however, is not giving up on Indian investments yet. I am not giving up now. No, I am not giving up. I am little bit concerned. I feel bad. My country is not making progress. We cannot never ignore India, the future is here, he said. ArcelorMittal, he said, was investing in brownfield expansion in steel and mining in Canda, Liberia and Brazil. Asked about the progress of the three projects, Mittal said the status has less meaning because all approvals need to come in symphony for a project to take off. My people are spending so much here. We have an office. They have to be worried. Because if they dont get approval, capital allocation will not come from the group, he said. Mittal said in the absence of approvals for his projects, the company would be investing in nations like Canada, Liberia and Brazil.
were aware of this and the negative list was expected to go by end of the year. We are trying our level best that the negative list is dismantled, he added. On abolition of deemed export drawback benefits for power projects, he said it followed abuse of the provisions by non-mega power projects. There was no question of restoring the benefits until the issue was resolved. Exporters raised various issues, including the impact of the Budget announcement to levy service tax on a basis of negative list and the need to provide interest subvention for exports. While urging exporters to submit their representations early, as the Foreign Trade Policy Supplement would be announced next month end, Mr. Khullar assured them that issues concerning other departments would be taken up with them. FIEO President Rafeeque Ahmed said the slowdown in emerging and developing economies was of great concern as the exporters were consciously moving away from advance economies.
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John and Priya have been seeing each other for almost a year now
from the media glare for a very long time and never spoke openly about her until now. They hardly made public appearances bar one event when the two attended a book launch by Johns cousin sister. The entire Abraham household was present at the event and by the look of it Priya was very much at home. The family did everything possible to make her feel comfortable. Though the date hasnt been fixed yet it could be in a week or a few months. I know it will be this year, but I dont know when. It could be in a few months or a few weeks. I am a very impulsive guy. So I might decide to get married next week! Its possible that our wedding may have just 10 people, if we include close family, said John.
Hairstyles of the Rich and Famous Internationally Renowned Celebrity Hairdresser Asgar on his Brush with the Glitterati
years. A regular on red carpets around the world, Asgars hair creations have been showcased at glittering premieres, showbiz events and Awards ceremonies, and he is sought after by the top names in the film, Royal and fashion fraternities. Asgars distinguished celebrity clientele includes supermodels Cindy Crawford and Twiggy as well as Bollywood A List stars Karisma Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Hrithik Roshan and legend Rekha. He is also pivotal in the styling of business moguls, ultra-high net
From supermodel Cindy Crawford to Bollywood supremo and one of the worlds most beautiful women Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the
No Imitators For The Original Super Group RDB As They Get Ready To Rock Pakistan In True Bhangra Style
Bhangras original and best international super group RDB is exclusively set to rock the Urban Asian music scene as they plan their next series of headline gigs in the new music hotspot of the world - Pakistan. Surj, from RDB said: We are so excited and thrilled to include Pakistan in our next series of performances. We love the country and the fans there are so pumped up whenever they hear our songs its great. The three brothers, Surj, Manj and Kully, from Bradford in the UK have blazed a trail in Urban-fusion Bhangra music since they emerged on the scene over a decade ago, and have set the stage for others to follow. RDB have not only pioneered their unique form of Punjabi infused Dance and RnB hit songs, they have also led the way as hit-making producers to develop other artists talent. RDB has been responsible for some of the biggest international for Shera Di Kaum. Their other leading collaborations include tracks with music heavyweights Snoop Dogg, Elephant Man and Public Enemy. Other Bollywood include Singh hits is Kinng, Kambakkht Ishq, and chart-buster Aloo Chaat. Often imitated in musical style and image by several wannabes, RDB remain the Asian music worlds true originators of Bhangra, both in the UK and internationally, with a worldwide fan base. With their eagerly awaited new album Worldwide, a pure feel-good collection of dance and Bhangra hits, about to release and a series of sold-out gigs in Pakistan on the horizon, RDB are set to seal their position at the very top of the musical summit.
and Bollywood hits, and have been pivotal in both performing and producing for several Bollywood A list films, including Akshay Kumar starrer Speedy Singhs, for which they created the lyrics, music and production arrangement, together with Grammy Award winner Ludacris,
name Asgar is synonymous with cutting edge and attention grabbing hairstyles. The UK based hair maestro has worked his magic on scores of celebrities and dignitaries the world over, making the front covers of several leading fashion magazines and item publications with his showstopping and inspirational coiffures. As well as having styled top models for the front covers of high-end fashion magazines such as Vogue and Harpers Bazaar, Asgars work has also graced the fashion and style sections of national newspapers such as The Observer, The Times, The Independent and The Daily Mail. Imparting his words of wisdom on good hair care, Asgar has also been a regular columnist for the UKs leading national newspaper targeting the South Asian Diaspora Eastern Eye since 2005. Asgar has appeared on several top TV and radio shows, including the BBCs Clothes Show and the Asian TV Breakfast for three
worth individuals and royalty such as members of the Sultan of Bruneis household. Asgar is famed for the headline grabbing hairstyle he created for Bollywood heartthrob Hrithik Roshan, which has been the inspiration for Hrithik Roshans wax work figure at Londons prestigious Madame Tussauds.
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Re-writing the rules for the global security business to become the number one global security brand worth US$ 10 billion by 2020
rules for the security business not only for TOPSGRUP, but for the entire Indian Security Industry at large. The multi award-winning TOPSGRUP has also embarked on a global leadership mission with a vision to become the number one brand in the global security space and a US$ 10 billion security group by 2020. As part of the companys international strategy, TOPSGRUP acquired Great Britains 10th largest security group The Shield Guarding Company Limited which employs just under 3000 employees and operates out of 7 offices in United Kingdom, solidifying its marketplace in the West. Aside from its business endeavours, under Dr Diwan Rahul Nandas leadership TOPSGRUP is committed to paying back to the society: from adopting and educating hundreds of desolate girls in India, to forming an Education Trust for educating children of terrorism victims to launching Indias first private Emergency Response Service called TOPSLINE 1252 to supporting charities within United Kingdom. Dr. Diwan Rahul Nanda, has won 25 awards including the Udyog Ratna Award, the Frost and Sullivan Business Excellence Award, the Brand Leadership Awards, the Best Security Company Award in India and United Kingdom. The Advertising & Marketing Magazine (A&M 2001) recognized TOPSGRUP as the NUMBER ONE brand in the Indian security industry. TOPSGRUP in the past many years has won every national and international award for business excellence and innovation. Some of the awards include the 2nd National Security Today Award for the Best Security Personality of the Year 2007, Frost, and Sullivan Award for the Best Manned Guarding Company (2008), amongst others. Most recently, Dr. Diwan Rahul Nanda has been conferred with Brand Leadership Award at the CMO Asia awards for excellence in Branding and Marketing, held in Singapore. He was also nominated for UK Trade & Investment India Business Awards (2009) in the Young Business Leader category. Also, TOPSGRUPs The Shield Guarding Company (UK) won the prestigious Security Guarding Company of the Year Award at the Security Excellence Awards 2009 (UK) in London. Dr. Diwan Rahul Nanda recently relocated the headquarters of TOPSGRUP to London to help leverage the companys reach to areas such as North America, Africa and Europe.
hundred centuries. One has to keep chasing dreams till they come true, said Tendulkar. Sometimes, success is waiting round the corner and one should
driver told me that fans are dancing on my car. I told him not to stop them. I did not worry about the dents to the car. The Cup
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Bansal is CEO of India Strategy Group, Hammurabi & Solomon Consulting, an HBS alum, and a student of Indian governance As the nation celebrates a Rajya Sabha nomination for the master blaster, a kill-joy writes a letter to president Pratibha Patil, reminding her of the constitution. A postscript asks Sachin to get back and ask his friend Mukesh Ambani Dear Madam President: Sorry to be a kill joy, but pray take a look at what the eligibility criteria for your nominated members to the Rajya Sabha says? While you have the best legal brains available to you, we mere mortals only have Google! So, what pops up there is your election commission website. The FAQ seems instructive enough:
Rohit bansal
occasional Ferrari exemption notwithstanding. We didnt expect him to nitpick about constitutional niceties. Or even lobby for a nomination. It was, perhaps, for elder statesmen, desperate as they are for credibility with younger India, to think
sports in Article 80(3) the cat would have been out of the bag, and the surprise factor forfeited. Some would ask how actress Rekha is any better qualified than Sachin. So, if Rekha, why not Sachin? Its a pertinent point worth answering in 140 characters. Rekha and Sachin
It was the first time in the history of Pakistan that a prime minister appeared before the court and was convicted of contempt. For a limping democracy, Pakistan seems to have arrived with this verdict.
which Gilani was elected prime minister) and of course justice Chaudhary back at the helm. Thursdays verdict shows that all are indeed equal before the law. A move is afoot that would make the Thursday verdict impossible in India. India has always prided itself on being a robust and functional
democracy. Its biggest achievement after independence was building a democratic setup. However, that setup is now weakening. A case in point is the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2011 (passed by the Lok Sabha and now before the upper house). Among other things, it places restrictions on what judges can and cannot comment. In a chapter dealing with judicial standards to be followed by judges, the bill says, No judge shall make unwarranted comments against (the) conduct of any constitutional or statutory authority or statutory bodies or statutory institutions or any chairperson or member or officer thereof Pakistan has shown the way. Will India follow?
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Getting to Know the Prophets Companions Salman Al-Farisi: Long Search for Truth
By Abdul Wahid Hamid
The blessed Companion of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), Salman alFarisi (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates his journey to Islam as follows: I grew up in the town of Isfahan in Persia, in the village of Jayyan. My father was the chief of the village. He was the richest person there and had the biggest house. Since I was a child, my father loved me, more than he loved any other. As time went by, his love for me became so strong and overpowering that he feared to lose me or have anything happen to me. Thus, he kept me at home, a veritable prisoner, in the same way that young girls were kept. Searching for the Right Faith I became devoted to the Zoroastrian religion so much so that I attained the position of custodian of the fire that we worshipped. My duty was to see that the flames of the fire remained burning and that it did not go out for a single hour, day or night. My father had a vast estate that yielded an abundant supply of crops. He himself looked after the estate and the harvest. One day he was very busy with his duties as chief of the village and he said to me, My son, as you see, I am too busy to go out to the estate now. Go and look after matters there for me today. On my way to the estate, I passed a Christian church, and the voices at prayer attracted my attention. I did not know anything about Christianity or about the followers of any other religion during the time that my father kept me in the house away from people. When I heard the voices of the Christians, I entered the church to see what they were doing. I was impressed by their manner of praying and felt drawn to their religion. By God, I said, this is better than ours. I shall not leave them until the sun sets. I asked and was told that the Christian religion originated in the Levant (greater Syria). I did not go to my fathers estate that day, and at night, I returned home. My father met me and asked what I had done. I told him about my meeting with the Christians and how I was impressed by their religion. He was dismayed and said, My son, there is nothing good in that religion. Your religion and the religion of your forefathers is better. No, their religion is better than ours, I insisted. My father became upset and afraid that I would leave our religion. So he kept me locked up in the house and put a chain on my feet. I managed however to send a message to the Christians asking them to inform me of any caravan going to Syria. Before long they got in touch with me and told me that a caravan was headed for Syria. I managed to unfetter myself and in disguise accompanied the caravan to Syria. There, I asked who was the leading person in the Christian religion and was directed to the bishop of the church. I went up to him and and final Prophet in the land of the Arabs who would have a reputation for strict honesty, and who would accept a gift but would never consume charity for himself. Salman continues his story: At that time the Prophet was inviting his people in Mecca to Islam, but I did not hear anything about him then because of the harsh obligations that slavery imposed upon me. A group of Arab leaders from the where the Prophet had alighted. I went up to him and said, I have heard that you are a righteous man and that you have companions with you who are strangers and are in need. Here is something from me as charity. I see that you are more deserving of it than others. The Prophet ordered his companions to eat but he himself did not eat of it. I gathered some more dates and when the Prophet left Quba for Medina, I went to him and said, I noticed that you did not eat of the charity that I The man persisted and said, I know the type of house that would suit you. Describe it to me, said Salman. I shall build you a house which if you stand up in it, its roof will hurt your head and if you stretch your legs, the wall will hurt them. Later, as a governor of Ctesiphon, near Baghdad, Salman received a stipend of five thousand gold coins. This he would distribute in charity. He lived from the work of his own hands. When people came to Ctesiphon and
said, I want to become a Christian and would like to attach myself to your service, to learn from you, and to pray with you. The bishop agreed and I entered the church in his service. I soon found out, however, that the man was corrupt. He would order his followers to give money in charity while offering the promise of blessings to them. When they gave anything to spend in the way of God, however, he would hoard it for himself and not give anything to the poor or needy. In this way he amassed a vast quantity of gold. When the bishop died and the Christians gathered to bury him, I told them of his corrupt practices and, at their request, showed them where he kept their donations. When they saw the large jars filled with gold and silver they said, By God, we shall not bury him. They nailed him on a cross and threw stones at him. I continued in the service of the person who replaced him. The new bishop was an ascetic who longed for the Hereafter and engaged in worship day and night. I was greatly devoted to him and spent a long time in his company. The Final Prophet in the Land of the Arabs After his death, Salman attached himself to various Christian religious figures in Mosul, Nisibis and elsewhere. The last of these told Salman about the appearance of a new
Kalb tribe passed through Ammuriyah, and I asked them to take me with them to the land of the Arabs in return for whatever money I had. They agreed and I paid them. When we reached Wadi al-Qura (a place between Medina and Syria), they broke their agreement and sold me to a Jew. I worked as a servant for him, but eventually he sold me to a nephew of his belonging to the tribe of Banu Qurayzah. This nephew took me with him to Yathrib (Medinah), the city of palm groves, which is how the Christian at Ammuriyah had described it. When the Prophet reached Yathrib after his hijrah from Makkah, I was in fact at the top of a palm tree belonging to my master doing some work. My master was sitting under the tree. A nephew of his came up and said: May God declare war on Aws and Khazraj (the two main Arab tribes of Medina). By God, they are now gathering at Quba to meet a man who has today come from Mecca and who claims he is a Prophet. I felt hot flushes as soon as I heard these words, and I began to shiver so violently that I was afraid that I might fall on my master. I quickly got down from the tree and said to my masters nephew, What did you say? Repeat the news for me. My master was very angry and gave me a terrible blow. What does this matter to you? Go back to what you were doing, he shouted. That evening, I took some dates that I had gathered and went to the place
gave. This, however, is a gift for you. Of this gift of dates, both he and his companions ate. The strict honesty of the Prophet was one of the characteristics that led Salman to believe in him and accept Islam. Salman was released from slavery by the Prophet who paid his Jewish slave-owner a stipulated price and who himself planted an agreed number of date palms to secure his manumission. After accepting Islam, Salman would say when asked whose son he was, I am Salman, the son of Islam from the children of Adam. A Leading Companion Salman became known as Salman the Good. He was a scholar who lived a rough and ascetic life. He had one cloak that he wore and upon which he slept. He would not seek the shelter of a roof, but stayed under a tree or against a wall. A man once said to him, Shall I not build you a house in which to live? Salman was to play an important role in the struggles of the nascent Muslim state. At the battle of the trench, he proved to be an excellent innovator in military strategy. He suggested digging a ditch around Medina to keep the pagan army at bay. When Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Meccan pagans, saw the ditch, he said, This stratagem has not been employed by the Arabs before. I have no need of a house, he replied.
saw him working in the palm groves, they would say, You are the governor here: your sustenance is guaranteed and yet you do this work! I like to eat from the work of my own hands, he would reply. As a scholar, Salman was noted for his vast knowledge and wisdom. Ali said of him that he was like Luqman the Wise; while Kaab al-Ahbar said, Salman is filled with knowledge and wisdom an ocean that does not dry up. Salman had knowledge of both the Christian scriptures and the Quran, in addition to his earlier knowledge of the Zoroastrian religion. Salman, in fact, translated parts of the Quran into Persian during the lifetime of the Prophet. He was thus the first person to translate the Quran into a foreign language. Salman, because of the influential household in which he grew up, might easily have been a major figure in the sprawling Persian empire of his time. His search for truth however led him to renounce his comfortable and affluent life and even to suffer the indignities of slavery even before the Prophet had appeared. According to the most reliable account, he died in Ctesiphon during the caliphate of Uthman, in the thirty-fifth year after the hegira (migration of the Muslims to Median). May Allah be well pleased with him. This narrationwas taken from Abdul Wahid Hamids The Companions of the Prophet with a few minor changes.
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As the US beefs up its military presence in the Persian Gulf region, Pentagon strategists estimate that they would need less than a month to defeat Iranian forces should a military conflict take place. US Central Command (CENTCOM) believes it can destroy or significantly degrade Irans conventional armed forces in about three weeks using air and sea strikes, a defense source told The Washington Post. We plan for any eventuality we can and provide options to the president, Army Lt. Col. T.G. Taylor, a spokesman at CENTCOM told the newspaper. We take our guidance from the secretary of defense and from our civilian bosses in [Washington] DC. So any kind of guidance they give us, thats what we go off of [sic].
The Pentagon has also intensified training of elite troops of its allies in the region. The members of the Joint Special Operations Task Force-Gulf Cooperation Council commando team, who serve as instructors, may be ordered to go into the field as well, should such a need arise. The measures are taken as contingency for possible attack by Iran on US troops or blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, the vital oil transit route, the US says. CENTCOM says there are about 125,000 US troops in close proximity to Iran. The majority of them 90,000 are deployed in or around Afghanistan. Some 20,000 soldiers are ashore elsewhere in the Near East region; and a variable 15,000 to 20,000 serve on naval vessels.
The Home Secretaries of India and Pakistan are likely to hold bilateral talks on May 24 and 25 in Islamabad where a liberalised visa regime for the two countries is expected to be approved. A formal communication accepting the invitation of Pakistan for the Home Secretary-level dialogue will be sent in a day or two, official sources said. Islamabad has offered to host the meeting anytime between May 23 and 27 and New Delhi is likely to give its consent for May 24-25 talks. Earlier, Pakistan had suggested April 16 as the possible date for the Home Secretary-level talks to be held in Islamabad but the date clashed with the crucial meeting of the Chief Ministers which is being hosted by the Home Ministry. Subsequently, New Delhi sought the fresh date for the meeting after May 22 when the budget session of Parliament comes to an end. During the talks, an agreement to liberalise the visa procedures for the benefit of people from either country is expected to be signed. The Union Cabinet gave its nod
India, Pakistan home officials Eurozone unemployment likely to meet May-end rate hits record high of 10.9
for signing the pact which include multi-entry non-police reporting visas for businessmen, allowing them to visit five cities instead of three as at present. The other provisions include exempting elderly people from police reporting, allowing common people from either country to visit three earmarked cities. The bilateral meeting will be held amid renewed engagements between India and Pakistan. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh hosted
a lunch for Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari on April 8 when he was here on a private visit. Last month, Singh met Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul. This will be the first meeting between Home Secretary R K Singh and his Pakistani counterpart K Siddique Akbar. Their predecessors Gopal K Pillai and Qamar Zaman Chaudhary, had met in March 2011 in New Delhi.
Record high unemployment for the 17 countries that use the euro is set to increase the pressure on Europes leaders to switch from a focus on austerity to a pro-growth strategy to stop the region from moving deeper into recession. Unemployment across the 17-member eurozone rose by 169,000 in March, official figures showed Wednesday, taking the rate up to 10.9 percent in March its highest level since the euro was launched in 1999. Unemployment in the eurozone rose to 10.9% in March, equalling the record high of 15 years ago, data showed on Wednesday, driven by rises in Italy and Spain. The jobless rate in the 17 nations using the single currency increased by 0.1 percentage point from February, as expected by economists polled by Reuters. The unemployment rate was also 10.9% in February, March and April 1997. It has never risen above that in data stretching back to the start of 1995. Meanwhile, eurozone factories sank further into decline last month, but manufacturers in Asia upped their tempo to meet growing demand from the United States and China, exposing a widening gulf between Europe and the rest of the world. Worryingly for European policymakers, a downturn that is hitting Italy and Spain hard, now appears to be taking
root among core members France and Germany. The data hit the euro and dented optimism following a similar survey on Tuesday that showed the pace of growth in U.S. manufacturing picked up much more than expected. The numbers coming out of the eurozone give no cause for comfort. The China economy is holding up, but the debt crisis in Europe is weighing on growth and its rippling across the world, said Peter Dixon at Commerzbank. This weekend, as Greece and France head to the polls, there are hopes certainly among the ranks of the 17.4 million people unemployed in the eurozone that there may be a change of strategy in Europe over how to deal with the two-year debt crisis thats already seen three countries bailed out and raised the specter of the break-up of the single currency. With the potential changing of political leaders, coupled with confirmation that nearly half of the eurozone is officially in recession, the strategy of continuing austerity is being widely challenged, said Gary Jenkins, managing director of Swordfish Research. The unemployment rate across the wider 27-country European Union, which includes non-euro members like Britain and Poland, was 10.2 percent, unchanged from February but still higher than the 9.4 percent recorded a year before.
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Britains fifth-largest food retailers boycott on products from Israeli settlements has outraged officials in Tel Aviv who say the ban will have damaging impact on the whole Israeli products. Britains Cooperative Group, which is one of the biggest retailers across Europe, announced on Sunday that it will no longer engage with any supplier of produce known to be sourcing from the Israeli settlements. Israeli regimes foreign ministry has criticized the move saying it is targeted at the entire occupied territories rather than the settlements. They say they are targeting settlement products, but in fact they are targeting everything that is Israeli, foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told reporters. The settlements are a pretext. The
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boycott, divestment and sanctions movement boycotts everything that is Israeli, he added. The Cooperative Group first halted purchases from the settlements in 2009, but the new ban will affect four major companies, which bring in products from the settlements. The ban will leave a 350,000 black hole in the sales of the suppliers Agrexco, Arava Export Growers and Adafresh as well as
Israeli regimes largest agricultural export company, Mehadrin. Pro-Palestinian activists have welcomed the move as a slap in the face of the Israeli regime. Israeli agricultural export companies like Mehadrin profit from and are directly involved in the ongoing colonisation of occupied Palestinian land and theft of our water, said a spokesman for the Palestinian Union of Agricultural Work Committees. Trade with such companies constitutes a major form of support for Israels apartheid regime over the Palestinian people, so we warmly welcome this principled decision by the Co-Operative, the spokesman added. The Palestinian Union of Agricultural Work Committees also called on other major European retailers to follow the Cooperative Groups example.
of Baloch and Pakhtun bhai bhai, Balochoun ki Nasal Kashi Band karo (stop Baloch genocide). A young man, Saud, held a banner printed with slogans against the chief minister and MNA Nabeel Gabol. We understand
were scared but managed to distribute food. The government set up relief camps in five districts to distribute 20,000 packets of rations among families which have been displaced. The rehabilitations minister, Haji Muzaffar Ali Shujra, dismissed the impression that the operation was targeted against the Baloch. ANP jumps into the fray A leader of Awami National Party in Qasba Colony, Badshah Khan, arranged a protest independently to support the people of Lyari. Our leadership is silent on the operation but the residents of Katti Pahari and Qasba Colony are doing it ourselves. The Baloch people are our brothers and we are concerned about them. Khan told the reporters that their party had always demanded an indiscriminate military operation against criminals and military trial. We condemn the operation specifically conducted against a specific ethnicity, he said. Lyari is not the only place where criminals are hiding. Lalukhet No. 10, North Karachi,
the main road on Tuesday evening to protest against the Lyari operation. A few young men began to beat and electric pole with a stick as they shouted, Come join us in the protest. Show your solidarity with our Baloch brothers. They distributed hand-written banners, placards and white flags
They too are human like the rest of the people in Karachi and they have been treated inhumanly, said 48-yearold Mian Gul. Hundreds of women and children are suffering because of the one-sided operation which was launched to make a certain party happy. The protesters were shouting slogans
the pain and suffering of the people of Lyari because we face such operations at least once a month, he said. Our children scream of hunger and our women become mentally ill because of violence. Today police and other security forces are busy in Lyari but they will be sent to Qasba and Katti Pahari later on.
Ashrafs statement comes after speculation in the media that the PCB may opt for three different captains for Tests, ODIs and T20s. Misbah too has had to fend off questions from the media and most recently said: I dont want to just play Test cricket. I want to lead the team at the World Twenty20 as well but obviously thats up to the selectors. As far as people calling my batting too defensive is concerned, I play according to
the situation. Im the captain and I have an added responsibility. When I made my debut, people called me old and said I have little future in the game. But Ive been able to prove them wrong with my performances. Now Im confident of doing the same, the 38-year-old added. Comments from new coach Dav Whatmore and former captain Younis Khan last week, have added to the buzz circling the PCB headquarters. Khan reportedly expressed a desire to the lead the team again if offered the role while Whatmore had backed another former captain, Shoaib Malik, to lead Pakistan in T20s on the back of his recent title-winning performance in the Super Eight T20 Championship held in Rawalpindi. Pakistans selection committee is set to announce the squad for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka in a few days, and if tradition is to go by, there maybe a few surprises in the offing, despite Ashrafs remarks.
The city of Dubai is built on foundations that are steeped in history and tradition. From the evocative Dubai Museum to the spectacular Jumeirah Mosque, and from the breathtaking Bastakiya to the imperious Heritage Village. There are many mysteries waiting to be unravelled. Explore Dubai at your pace and relive great traditions from day gone by.
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Pakistan will tour Sri Lanka next month for three Tests, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 games, Sri Lanka Cricket said on Monday. The Pakistanis will kick off the six-week tour with two Twenty20 matches in the southern port town of Hambantota on June 1 and June 3. The first two one-day internationals will be played in Pallekele on June 7 and June 9, followed by the remaining three at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo on June 13, 16 and 18. The three back-to-back Tests will be held in Galle (June 22-26), the Sinhalese sports club in Colombo (June 30-July 4) and Pallekele (July 8-12). Pakistan last toured Sri Lanka in 2009
where they lost the Test series 2-0. The two sides met in the United Arab Emirates last year where Pakistan won both the Test and one-day series and also clinched the lone Twenty20 international. Tour itinerary: June 1: First Twenty20 international, Hambantota June 3: Second Twenty20 international, Hambantota June 7: First one-dayer, Pallekele June 9: Second one-dayer, Pallekele June 13: Third one-dayer, Colombo June 16: Fourth one-dayer, Colombo June 18: Fifth one-dayer, Colombo June 22-26: First Test, Galle June 30-July 4: Second Test, Colombo July 8-12: Third Test, Pallekele.
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Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Wednesday offered to allot 20 acres of land near Chandigarh to star cricketer Yuvraj Singh for setting up a sports academy. Yuvraj, who is recovering after undergoing treatment for a rare germ cell cancer, was accompanied by his mother Shabnam Singh
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in Pakistan, an official of the board said. Asif, 29, who took 106 wickets in 23 tests and another 36 wickets in 48 one-day internationals, was
jailed for 12 months by the crown court while Butt was given a 30month sentence. All three had appealed against their sentences
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