Yemeni warplanes kill six Al Qaeda militants

Sanaa : Yemeni warplanes carried out two air strikes against Al Qaeda hideouts, killing six terrorists, including three Al Qaeda commanders, in the southern province of Abyan Thursday, a military official told Xinhua. "There were two separate air strikes launched by the air force and targeted hideouts of the Al Qaeda militants in Wadi Mahfad town in Abyan province. At least six terrorists were killed, three in each air strike," the local military official said on condition of anonymity. A senior intelligence officer in the Wadi Mahfad town told Xinhua that most of the dead militants were local commanders of the Yemen-based Al Qaeda offshoot. "About three Al Qaeda local leaders, who were responsible for several armed attacks and suicide bombings against the army forces in Abyan, were also among the dead elements," the officer said. Last week, an Al Qaeda suicide car bomber stormed a military base in Yemen's southern province of Abyan, killing at least 15 soldiers and injuring dozens. The Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) based in Yemen's southern regions repeatedly said that its attacks were in revenge for joint US-Yemeni operations including drone strikes against the group. Drone strikes have increased since August after the US temporarily closed its embassy in Sanaa due to security threats. The Yemeni government said more than 40 suspected AQAP fighters were killed in the strikes.

Pakistan tacitly agreed to drone strikes

Washington : Despite publicly denouncing US drone strikes, top Pakistani officials have for years secretly endorsed the campaign, the Washington Post reported citing top-secret CIA-Pakistani documents and Pakistani diplomatic memos. Top Pakistanis even routinely received classified briefings on strikes and casualty counts, it said, and in one case a memo indicated "CIA was prepared to share credit with the Pakistanis if the agency could confirm that it had killed Ilyas Kashmiri, an Al Qaeda operative suspected of ties to plots against India". The agency would do so "so that the negative views about Pakistan in the US decision and opinion making circles are mitigated", according to a diplomatic memo attributed to former deputy director of the CIA Michael J. Morell. Morell, who retired this year, delivered regular briefings on the drone programme to Husain Haqqani, who was the Pakistani ambassador to the US at the time, the influential US daily said. The secret files describe dozens of drone attacks in Pakistan's tribal region and include maps as well as before-and-after aerial photos of targeted compounds over a four-year stretch from late 2007 to late 2011 in which the campaign intensified dramatically, it said. Markings on the documents indicate that many of them were prepared by the CIA's Counterterrorism Centre specifically to be shared with Pakistan's government. They tout the success of strikes that killed dozens of alleged Al Qaeda operatives and assert repeatedly that no civilians were harmed, the newspaper said. The CIA also shared maps and photographs of drone operations in Pakistan that have not previously been shown publicly. These and other materials were routinely relayed "by bag" to senior officials in Islamabad, the documents indicate. The Post said a spokesman for the Pakistani embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment. A CIA spokesman declined to discuss the documents but did not dispute their authenticity, it said. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif raised the issue in a meeting Wednesday with US President Barack Obama, "emphasising the need for an end to such strikes" but failed to get a response from the president

Emaar posts record profit in January-September 2013

Dubai : Led by the positive performance of its real estate, shopping malls, retail, hospitality and leisure businesses, the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) real estate giant Emaar Properties recorded a net profit of 1.812 billion dirhams ($493 million) in the first nine months 2013. This is 13 percent higher than the net profit of 1.607 billion dirhams ($438 million) recorded during the same period last year. The revenue for the first nine months of 2013 was 7.566 billion dirhams($2.060 billion), 36 percent higher than the revenue of 5.560 billion dirhams ($1.514 billion) during the same period in 2012. The net profit for the third quarter (July to September) of 2013 was 581 million dirhams ($158 million), 50 percent higher than the third quarter 2012 net profit of 387 million dirhams ($105 million). Revenue for the third quarter 2013 was 2.347 billion dirhams ($639 million), which is 43 percent more than the third-quarter 2012 revenue of 1.639 billion dirhams ($446 million). Emaar continued to strengthen recurring revenues from its shopping malls and retail and hospitality and leisure businesses, which together contributed 3.356 billion dirhams ($914 million), or 44 percent of the total revenue in the first nine months of 2013. The international operations of Emaar contributed 770 million dirhams($210 million), 10 percent of the total revenue during the same period. Driving the success of Emaar in the shopping mall and retail business, its flagship mall asset, Dubai Mall recorded a visitor footfall of more than 55 million during the first nine months of 2013, an increase of 24 percent compared to the 44.5 million visitors hosted by the mall during the same period last year. "Emaar's strong performance across all its core businesses is a testament to the positive growth recorded by Dubai,” Mohamed Alabbar, chairman of Emaar Properties, said. "Our new developments, in real estate, malls, and hospitality, underline our strategic approach to supporting Dubai's all-round growth,” he added.

Disappointed over spike in ceasefire violations by Pakistan: PM

On Board Air India One : Coming out strongly against the continued ceasefire violations by Pakistan, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday said he was “disappointed” and hoped that Islamabad would “realise this is not good” for the two neighbours. Answering a question on the spike in ceasefire violations on the Line of Control and the international border in Kashmir, the prime minister said: "I am disappointed." He said that after his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in New York on Sep 29, "there was agreement on both sides that peace and tranquillity must be maintained on the Line of Control and the International Border. And this has not happened... it has come to me as a big disappointment". He said both leaders were in agreement that the ceasefire, which has been effective since November 2003, "if it has held ground for 10 years it could be made to hold ground later on also. The fact that this is not happening is something which is really a matter of disappointment". "I sincerely hope that at this late hour Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will recognize that this is a development which is not good for either of the two countries." The prime minister had stuck to holding the Sep 29 New York meeting with Nawaz Sharif despite calls from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party to call it off due to ceasefire violations by Pakistan that had resulted in the beheading of a soldier in January and the killing of five Indian soldiers on Aug 6 in Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir. Both sides had decided at the meeting that their Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) would meet to find out ways to make the ceasefire stick. But there have been frequent ceasefire violations since the meeting. A top source had said during the Moscow visit that they would assess to see how serious the Sharif government is about maintaining the ceasefire. "Let’s give them (DGMOs) a chance," the source said. "We’ll assess the situation as it develops and see whether there is seriousness or not on the Pakistani side to restore the ceasefire and respect it. It is too early to say, Let the DGMOs talk to each other and see if they can do it ... It is too early to draw conclusions," the source had said. The source had also said that the increased ceasefire violations could be linked to “infiltration attempts”. “Many of the ceasefire violations are linked to infiltration attempts. This is the time of the year when a lot of infiltration happens ... before the snows, this happens.” “Let’s analyse how the pattern differs this time. There is certainly an increase over last year. we’ll see the pattern and draw conclusions,” the source said.

Iran lawmaker claims Tehran has sufficient 20% enriched uranium

Washington, October 24: An Iranian lawmaker has said Tehran need not produce 20 percent enriched uranium any more, as it has sufficient quantity in store. The Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency ( ICANA) quoted Hossein Naqvi Hosseini, as saying that the nuclear reactor in Tehran has been supplied sufficient 20 percent enriched uranium, and currently, there was no need for its production, Fox News reports. However, he did not clarify whether Iran will stop at 20 percent enrichment. The comments came few weeks after the West asked Iran to stop the production of enriched uranium amid fears of building an atomic bomb . (ANI)

U.S. denies reports of strained ties with Saudi Arabia

Abu Dhabi, October 24: The United States has denied reports of Saudi Arabia planning to limit its interaction with Washington amid differences over Syria. State Department Deputy Spokeswoman Marie Harf said the fundamental relationship and partnership with key Gulf ally Saudi Arabia was as strong as earlier, the Gulf News reports. The comments came after there were reports on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia''s intelligence chief has said the kingdom is planning to limit its interaction with the United States in wake of Washington''s failure at taking any effective action on Syria crisis and Palestine. Secretary of State John Kerry said that the U.S. was aware that the Saudis were disappointed over its decision of not striking against the chemical weapons arsenal of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He further added that the U.S. is working out on some challenging issues with Saudi Arabia and other international partners as they share the same goals.

Iran asks Malaysia not to execute two Iranian women

Tehran : Iran has asked Malaysia to stop the execution of two Iranian women who have been accused of smuggling illicit drugs into the country, according to media reports Thursday. "The execution of the two Iranian women in Malaysia will have a negative impact on the bilateral relations," Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary and Iranian Expatriates' Affairs Hassan Qashqavi was quoted as saying, reports Xinhua. Malaysia should avoid carrying out the executions so that the cordial relationship between the two countries can continue, Qashqavi added. Reportedly, the two Iranian women were sentenced to death over an attempt to smuggle illicit drugs into Malaysia in December 2010.

Obama tells Sharif to bring Mumbai attackers to book, clamp down on Hafiz Saeed

Islamabad, October 24: President Barack Obama has raised the issue of punishing the perpetrators of the Mumbai terror attacks that killed more than 167 people in November 2008, and clamp down on the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) led by Hafiz Saeed, during his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the White House on Wednesday. Obama also discussed the release of Dr. Shakil Afridi, who helped the CIA to locate Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in November 2011 in Abbottabad, the Daily Times reports. Sharif and Obama also agreed to work out a joint strategy on counter-terrorism and extremism, the report adds. The two leaders agreed that their partnership was based on principles of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also welcomed the resumption of the U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue and discussed the forthcoming ministerial-level Strategic Dialogue. They also decided on the strategic priorities for the five working groups, which are as follows: 1) Law enforcement and counterterrorism; 2) Economics and finance; 3) Energy; 4) Security, strategic stability, and non-proliferation; and 5) the Defence Consultative Group. (ANI)

Saudi Arabia warned women against driving

Riyadh: The Saudi interior ministry Wednesday warned women against driving in response to a campaign against the driving ban on females, Saudi Press Agency reported. The spokesperson of the interior ministry said in a statement that the campaign to challenge the driving ban on women through social media is illegal, in addition to calls for banned rallies and gathering, Xinhua reported. He said the ministry will enforce the law and legal procedures which will be firmly and strongly taken against violators. The campaign calls upon women to challenge the ban on driving cars Saturday. In the last few years, Saudi Arabia has arrested several women for breaking the ban

western Iraq: Militants kill 37

Baghdad: A string of attacks across the western province of al-Anbar left 37 people dead, all but three of them members of the security forces, an Iraqi police source said Wednesday. Another 28 people were injured in the assaults, which were blamed on Sunni Muslim militants. Fourteen police officers were found with their throats slit after a patrol was ambushed on a highway west of al-Anbar's capital Ramadi, some 110 km west of Baghdad. Seven people, including four police, were killed when a suicide attacker rammed a vehicle packed with explosives into a checkpoint on the main highway leading to Jordan. A car bombing Tuesday night near a police station in Rutba, some 370 km west of the national capital, killed six cops and left 14 people injured. Four other police died in an attack by gunmen just minutes after the blast, while two soldiers were killed by a car bomb in the centre of Rutba. Armed militants killed two members of the security forces and wounded three others in a strike on a checkpoint in Huseiba al-Garbiya. Two cops died when a bomb was detonated as a police convoy passed through the town of Raua, west of Ramadi. Nearly 1,000 people died last month in Iraq as a result of political or sectarian violence, bringing the civilian death toll for the year so far to almost 6,000, according to figures from the UN mission in Baghdad.

Afghanistan - Government Employee killed by Taliban

Kabul : Taliban militants abducted a government employee in Afghanistan's Farah province and killed him Wednesday, spokesman for provincial government Abdul Rahman Zhawandon said. "The Taliban rebels kidnapped an employee of rural development department in Farah province this morning and shot him dead after keeping him in captivity for a few hours," Zhawandon told Xinhua without giving more details. A day earlier Tuesday, government forces raided Taliban militants' hideouts and killed at least two insurgents, he said, adding the kidnapping and killing of the government employee could be a revenge to the security forces operations.