40 die in Syria car bomb attack

Cairo: Forty people were killed Friday in a car bombing near a mosque in Damascus province, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The dead include women and children and many of the dozens of injured are in serious condition, activists told the observatory. The scene of the explosion, a village called Suq Wadi Barada, is controlled by rebels, but Syrian government forces are deployed just outside the community, the activists said. The National Coalition, representing a wide range of opposition groups, blamed forces loyal to President Bashar Assad for the blast, which occurred just as worshippers at the mosque were concluding Friday prayers. Official news agency Sana attributed the attack to "terrorists". The United Nations estimates that Syria's internal conflict has claimed more than 100,000 lives since March 2011, when violence erupted in the wake of harsh government repression of peaceful protests.

95 killed in operations against Boko Haram in Nigeria

Abuja: The face-off between Nigeria's Joint Task Force (JTF) in the country'S restive northern region and Boko Haram militants witnessed a bloody encounter in Borno and Yobe states with about 95 militants killed, military said Friday. Heavy gun battle continued as the JTF troops attacked the militants in different locations around Maiduguri and Damaturu, two strongholds of the deadly sect since 2009, Xinhua reported. This development came on the heels of security reports that the Boko Haram sect was planning a massive counterattack on strategic economic interests and JTF positions in Nigeria's northeast region. Borno and Yobe states are flash points of attacks by Boko Haram since 2009 when the sect launched its insurgency targeting churches, security facilities, schools and villages. The Nigerian military has been repelling the insurgents' attempts to launch coordinated attacks. Nigerian troops in Maiduguri, capital of the Borno state, said they destroyed more camps of Boko Haram Thursday during the ongoing offensive against the group. The camps were in Galangi and Lawanti villages within a Mainok General Area of Borno. The troops raided the camps and killed 74 suspected Boko Haram militants. Lt-Col Mohammed Dole, the new military spokesman, said the operations which involved ground and aerial assault by the Air Force destroyed identified terrorist camps, killing 74 suspected militants, while others fled with serious injuries. Two Isuzu tiger pick-up vehicles and five Hilux belonging to the militants were destroyed, he added. In another operation, the 3 Division Special Operation Battalion in Damaturu, the Yobe state capital, confirmed Friday the killing of 21 insurgents in the state. A statement signed by Captain Eli Lazarus, spokesman of the battalion, said the insurgents were killed Thursday, while some weapons and ammunition were recovered during the operation. He said the insurgents attacked a military checkpoint close to the NNPC mega petrol station on Damaturu-Maiduguri road. A 24-hour curfew was imposed across the state to enable troops pursue the fleeing terrorists. Damaturu streets had remained empty with all business premises closed as residents stayed indoors. Boko Haram has caused thousands of casualties in Nigeria's northern states since 2009. With the escalation of conflicts between its fighters and the military, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan declared in May a state of emergency in the northern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. In April, the Nigerian government tried to broker a ceasefire with the group but failed.

UN urges Saudi to boost women's rights ahead of driving

October 25: The UN urged Saudi Arabia to crack down on discrimination against women among other rights abuses today as the country braces for a weekend campaign that should see female activists defy a driving ban. The UN Human Rights Council adopted a report listing 225 recommendations for improvements earlier this week in Geneva during a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the oil-rich kingdom's rights record. The report follows Saudi threats this week of a crackdown on activists who are expected to go ahead with a plan to get behind the wheel tomorrow in the world's only country that bans women from driving. Activists have used social networks to call on Saudi women to join the campaign. Many of the UN recommendations called on Riyadh to abolish a system requiring women to seek permission from male relatives to work, marry or leave the country, and one urged it to lift the ban. Saudi Arabia has until the next regular session on the council in March 2014 to respond to the recommendations presented during the UPR, which all 193 UN countries must undergo every four years. Bandar bin Mohammad al-Aiban, who heads Saudi Arabia's Human Rights Commission and led the country's delegation in Geneva, insisted during Monday's review that the country had made progress on women's rights. He pointed out that Saudi Arabia had allocated a minimum of 20 percent of seats on its Shura Council -- an advisory body that can propose law changes to the king -- to women. Today's UPR report also urged Saudi Arabia to do more to protect migrant workers and expressed deep concern over the country's continued use of the death penalty, including for crimes committed by minors

13 killed in Iraq violence

Baghdad: At least 13 people were killed and 24 others wounded in violent attacks across Iraq Friday, police said. Two civilians were killed and six others were wounded when a roadside bomb struck a popular market in Yusufiya area, about 20 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Xinhua reported citing a police source. In Anbar province, a suicide car bomber attacked a checkpoint in Rutba, some 370 km west of Baghdad, killing two policemen and wounding three others, the source said. In another attack in the province, a policeman was killed and another got seriously injured when unidentified gunmen attacked a police checkpoint in Ramadi city, the capital of Anbar province, the source added. Two school guards were killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire on them in Heat, 45 km west of Ramadi, police said. During the past few days, Anbar province has witnessed a series of deadly attacks including coordinated suicide bomb attacks which targeted local government buildings and security forces, killing dozens of security forces members. A couple was killed when a roadside bomb targeted their car in Bahrez area, south of Baquba, some 60 km northeast of Baghdad, a police source said. Eight people were injured when five roadside bombs exploded near the homes of a number of policemen in Aslah area, just five km northeast of Baquba, capital of Diyala province, the source added. Another roadside bomb struck an Iraqi army patrol in the Mazrah village south of the city of Baiji, some 200 km north of Baghdad, killing two members of the patrol, the police source said, adding that one civilian was killed and another seriously injured when a roadside bomb struck their car near Dujail area, some 50 km north of Baghdad. Unidentified gunmen killed an employee of the Iraqi Ministry of Justice near his home in the Amiriya district in western Baghdad, while five civilians were wounded when a roadside bomb exploded in the Dora district in the southern part of the city, the source said. Iraq is witnessing its worst eruption of violence in recent years. According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, almost 6, 000 Iraqis were killed and over 14,000 others injured from January to September this year.

Car bomb at Syria mosque killed 40, including 7 children: NGO

October 25: The toll from yesterday's car bomb explosion at a mosque in Suq Wadi Barada near Damascus has soared to at least 40, including seven children, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Syrian government and opposition exchanged blame for the carnage in the town. Suq Wadi Barada is under rebel control and ringed by troops loyal to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. "The toll from a car bomb explosion that detonated after Friday prayers in Suq Wadi Barada has risen to 40, including seven children and a woman," said the Observatory. "The number of dead is likely to rise because there are dozens of wounded, most of them in critical condition," it added. State news agency SANA had earlier reported the blast, blaming "terrorists", the term the Assad regime uses for forces fighting to oust it. The opposition National Coalition meanwhile blamed the Assad regime for the "massacre" caused by what it said were two car bombs placed outside the Osama Bin Zeid mosque in Suq Wadi Barada. "Bashar al-Assad's gangs detonated two car bombs at midday... That were planted in front of the Osama Bin Zeid mosque in Suq Wadi Barada," the Coalition said in a statement. "The regime's constant commission of massacres makes it the duty of countries of the free world, the friends of the Syrian people, as well as international human rights and humanitarian organisations to fulfil their responsibilities towards civilians," it added. They must "protect the lives of Syrians and uphold their rights." Car bombings have plagued Syria in recent months, killing scores across the country.

Chemical inspectors visit 19 Syrian chemical sites

Damascus : A day after experts visited a site in an undisclosed location, the Organisation for the Prohibition of the Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Friday said the inspectors have so far visited 19 of Syria's 23 disclosed sites. "The OPCW inspectors visited a site on Thursday and verified that all of its previous chemical weapon-related equipment has already been dismantled," reported Xinhua citing the OPCW. "This brings to 19 the total number of sites visited by the OPCW inspectors, out of 23 that have been disclosed by Syria," it added. In an earlier statement, the OPCW said that its teams were working with the Syrian authorities to prepare an initial declaration, which will include a general plan to destroy the country's chemical arsenal. The OPCW noted that inspectors are currently working in three teams with "good access" to sites thus far, adding that state parties are providing the OPCW with lists of former inspectors who are available and willing to be deployed in the Syria mission going forward.

Iraq violence kills 12

Baghdad, October 25: Ten bombings and a shooting killed at least 12 people and wounded 19 in Iraq today, officials said. Nine bombs exploded in and around the city of Baquba, north of Baghdad, killing a total of seven people and wounding eight, a police officer and a doctor said. Three of the dead and two of the wounded were from the same family, the sources said. The deadliest single attack was in Yusifiyah, south of Baghdad, where a roadside bomb exploded near a market, killing at least four people and wounding 11, security and medical officials said. And in Baghdad itself, gunmen armed with silenced weapons killed a justice ministry employee in the Amriyah area. Violence in Iraq has reached a level unseen since 2008, when the country was just emerging from a brutal sectarian conflict. More than 570 people have now been killed this month, and more than 5,250 since the beginning of the year, according to AFP figures based on security and medical sources. A study released this month by academics based in the United States, Canada and Iraq said nearly half a million people have died from war-related causes in Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003.

Pak fatwa declares administration of polio vaccines Islamic

Islamabad, October 25: A council that issues fatwas in Pakistan has declared the administration of polio drops to children as Islamic. The Darul Afta of the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) has issued a fatwa saying that prominent scholars and experts of the Muslim world are convinced that polio drops do not contain anything that is harmful to health, or against Sharia law. According to the Daily Times, Pakistan is one of the three Islamic countries where polio still exists. Islamic scholars have also urged parents to administer polio drops to their children as per the commands of the holy Quran and Sunnah. (ANI)

Syrian troops ambush rebel groups

Damascus : Syrian troops have ambushed some radical rebel groups in the eastern countryside of the capital Damascus, killing and injuring more than 50 of them, Xinhua reported Friday citing state-run SANA news agency. The ambush took place at al-Ataibeh suburb, SANA said, publishing a video footage purporting to show scores of rebels' dead bodies tossed and scattered on an unpaved road. "The armed terrorist groups are crumbling under the painful blow of our military heroes," according to SANA. It said the rebels belonged to the Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and the so-called Islam Brigade group. This new development came as the Syrian army has unleashed a wide-scale operation in the eastern countryside of Damascus, aiming to besiege and eliminate the rebel groups in the surroundings of Damascus to further protect the capital and prevent the rebels from unleashing indiscriminate mortar attacks against districts of the capital. The Syrian army has regained full control of the strategic Damascus suburb of Htaitet al-Turkman, thus completing a full siege against rebels east of the Syrian capital, according to SANA. The army regained control of Htaitet al-Turkman after a 48-hour operation that resulted in the killing of at least 100 rebels, SANA said. Meanwhile, military experts said the new victory is of great significance as the recapture means the road to the Damascus airport is secure and mortar attacks by the rebels against the capital should decrease. By the recapture, the rebels, who are entrenched in the eastern al-Ghouta suburb, are now besieged from all directions and severed from any source of reinforcement. The fresh military push also came as a first step toward regaining Damascus's northern al-Qalamoun area from the hands of the rebels, who have entrenched there due to its geographic importance as the northern entrance of Damascus. Media reports said the battle to recapture al-Qalamoun from the rebels is imminent, underscoring the significance of the upcoming battle there for both the government troops and the rebels. In Damascus itself, the military and security forces' presence has become thick over the past week, as the checkpoints have also increased their inspection measures, causing suffocating traffic jams during the rush hours. The increased inspection has been more noticeable in the countryside of Damascus, including the northern Qudsaya suburb, which has witnessed sporadic security incidents during the country 's long-standing crisis.

Former Maldives president Nasheed faces life threat

Male : Former Maldivian president and presidential election front runner Mohamed Nasheed is facing life threats from Al Qaeda agents, his office said Friday. In a statement, Nasheed's office said two Al Qaeda agents have been put on the job for an attack on the ex-president and they are currently in Male, Haveeru online reported. The office has requested the defence ministry's intelligence to launch an investigation into the matter and to share findings with the office. Nasheed, who served as the fourth president of the Maldives from 2008 to 2012, was ousted by then vice-president Mohammad Waheed in February 2012 in what the former president termed as a coup, Xinhua reported. Nasheed bagged 45.45 percent of the vote in the first round of presidential election Sep 7 but the results were annulled by the Supreme Court this month after two other candidates alleged vote rigging. However, international monitors said the vote was free and fair. A vote scheduled for Oct 19 was called off just hours ahead of voting after police refused to deliver ballot papers and boxes to some 200 islands, effectively stopping the election. A new vote has been set for Nov 9 but Nasheed has already insisted that he has "no faith" in the process and called for President Waheed to resign and hand over control to the speaker of the parliament to oversee a smooth transition of power. The Maldives heads for a constitutional void if a president is not sworn in by Nov 11.

We are with you, Omar tells border villagers

Jammu : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah assured people in the state's border villages of full support in the face of repeated cease-fire violations by Pakistan and said: "You should not feel alone, we all are with you." Speaking Friday to a large number of people affected by shelling from the neighboring country at R.S. Pure in Samba district, Omar Abdullah said that repeated violations of ceasefire could not occur without the knowledge of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan. Since January this year, there have been frequent violations of the November 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan by that country. Omar Abdullah said the 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan was the highest gift for the people living on the international border and the LoC, who until then faced much shelling and firing. He said despite the bitterness between India and Pakistan on many occasions because of militancy and terrorist strikes, the agreement had stood firm for the last 10 years and the borders had been peaceful and tranquil. Expressing concern over the ceasefire violations, the brunt of which was borne by civilians living near the border and LoC areas, the chief minister said: "This is in nobody's interest, and only endangers the life of people of border areas. "I fail to understand. When Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif talks of peace and resolution of issues amicably through dialogue, why does Pakistan indulge in violation of the ceasefire? As the prime minister of Pakistan, the violation of ceasefire cannot be without his consent. "If that is so, then what is the use of the prime minister talking friendship and dialogue?" Omar Abdullah asked. Praising the people living near the border for their bravery, the chief minister expressed the hope that peace and tranquillity would be restored near the border and the LoC, allowing people to return to their routines. The chief minister was speaking during his visit to affected areas in Jammu and Samba districts. Omar Abdullah interacted with affected families, made an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and received briefs from the divisional administration on the measures being taken to provide the necessary help to the affected people. The chief minister was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand, legislator and provincial president of the ruling National Conference Devender Singh Rana, former minister and sitting legislator S.S. Slathia and officials of the divisional administration. Omar Abduallah heard the accounts that people in the villages gave him of damage to life, property and crops in the shelling. He advised those who wanted to play politics with the misery of the common people to join hands with the state and the central government to mitigate the difficulties of those affected by the shelling and shun negative politicking. He said the issue of recruitment of youth from the border areas in paramilitary forces and the army had been taken up with the union home minister. "We have emphasized the need for recruiting the youth of these areas in the army and paramilitary forces and will continue to stress about it," he said. He said a proposal for the construction of bunkers for the civilian population in the affected areas would also be sent to the central government soon. The chief minister visited a family whose house was damaged by mortar shells fired by Pakistan Rangers. He also visited the Abduliyain frontier village in R.S. Pura sector and interacted with families living there. The chief minister travelled along the zero-line of the international border from R.S.Pura to Samba and also the Pargwal area of Akhnoor tehsil in Jammu district.

Malaysian Indian Congress polls to be held Nov 30

Kuala Lumpur : The Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) election steering committee has fixed Nov 30 for its central working committee (CWC) election to choose national-level office bearers. Party president G. Palanivel said the polls are for the posts of a deputy president, three vice-presidents and 23 members of the CWC, the New Straits Times reported Friday. However, Palanivel expressed the hope there will be no contest for the deputy presidency held by S. Subramaniam. The date for nomination of candidates is Nov 16. Nomination day for the youth and Wanita or women's wings is Nov 8 and the polling will be held Nov 16, the same day as the main party's nominations. Formed in 1946, the MIC is one of the oldest political parties in Malaysia. It is one of the three major constituents of Malaysia's ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, the other two being the United Malays National Organization and the Malaysian Chinese Association. Ethnic Indians comprise a little over seven percent of Malaysia's total population of nearly 30 million.

Five killed in Lebanon clashes

Beirut : At least five people were killed Friday and 52 others injured in ongoing clashes in Tripoli in Lebanon, a security source told Xinhua. The clashes began between the two rival Sunni neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Alawite Jabal Mohsen Monday. The army used heavy machine guns in response to firing and flares and has been patrolling the Syria Street dividing the two neighborhoods, the source said. The fighting broke out Monday evening following Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's appearance in Lebanon based al-Mayadeen TV in an interview. Bab al-Tabbaneh's Sunni inhabitants support the rebellion against the Assad regime while Jabal Mohsen, a majority Alawite neighborhood, backs the Syrian president.

Water shortage may lead to famine in Pakistan: Minister

Islamabad : Pakistan's Water and Power Minister Khawaja Asif said Friday that the country is facing water shortage and it may lead to famine. Asif said Pakistan may face a famine in the next 10-15 years if appropriate measures were not taken, Geo News quoted him as saying. The government would ensure the implementation of the water accord between India and Pakistan, the minister added.

Bangladesh opposition calls three-day strike

Dhaka : Bangladesh's main opposition Friday called a three-day nationwide strike from Sunday morning to press its demand for restoration of the non-party caretaker government system to oversee the national elections slated for early 2014. Former prime minister Khaleda Zia announced the strike at a grand rally in capital Dhaka, giving Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government a two-day ultimatum for initiating a dialogue on a neutral election-time government, Xinhua reported. Tens of thousands of Bangladesh opposition supporters flooded the lush green Suhrawardy Udyan. The leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its 17 allies, including Jamaat-e-Islami, marched toward the rally venue with banners, placards and "sheaf of paddy" election symbol of BNP, breaking through several obstacles on their way. Khaleda Zia alleged that the Awami League-led alliance government has not worked to ensure the rights of the people and rather concentrated to protect the interests of the party. "This government arrests people when they try to hold meetings and rallies. They are out to violate people’s rights," The Daily Star quoted a BNP leader as saying.

Eight Afghan army personnel killed in bomb attacks

Kabul : Eight Afghan army personnel have been killed in separate bomb attacks since early Thursday, authorities said Friday. In one attack, six air force personnel were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Rodgard area of Shindand district in western Herat province, Xinhua quoted district governor Lal Mohammad Omarzai as saying. "The officers were returning from (a) army air force base to the provincial capital Herat city. The van they were travelling in touch off the IED on the roadside, killing all six people aboard," the governor told Xinhua. The Afghan Taliban has launched massive IED attacks against Afghan national security forces and over 87,000 NATO-led troops stationed in the country. Two other soldiers were killed and six injured in five IED attacks in Kunar, Ghazni, Kandahar and Helmand provinces over the same period of time, the Afghan Defence Ministry reported on its website. In addition, a civilian was killed in a similar attack in eastern Paktika province. Early Friday morning, three militants were killed and two injured when the militants launched an attack on police security checkpoints near a power dam in Helmand province. No policeman was hurt in the attack. Separately, eight Taliban militants were killed in an army operation in Nirkh district of the eastern Wardak province overnight, the provincial government said earlier Friday. The Taliban-led attacks and unrest have plagued parts of the war-torn country since late April when the insurgent group launched an offensive.

Nobody ready to rein in ISI: Pakistan court

Islamabad : A court in Pakistan has observed that nobody, be it the federal government or parliament, was ready to bring in legislation to rein in the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's all-powerful intelligence agency controlled by the military. While hearing the case of 282 missing people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Thursday, Chief Justice of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) Dost Muhammad Khan warned that the courts would be forced to restrict the members of the law enforcing agencies and security forces to their barracks if they continued to whisk away citizens on a daily basis through unlawful means, The News International reported Friday. The report quoted Khan as saying that the provincial and federal governments had become spectators to the violation of the constitution, law and fundamental rights of the citizens by the intelligence agencies and security forces. The chief justice observed that the government and the democratic system of the country would run smoothly only when the law enforcing agencies acted under the law. He also pointed out that the US intelligence agency CIA too was a powerful intelligence agency but its top officials would appear immediately before a court whenever asked to do so. The court submitted that like the US, the civilian government should also make the ISI its subordinate. The judge said that the people's problems are on the rise and illegal detention centres in the country have also become a big problem for the judiciary. However, Additional Attorney General of Pakistan Syed Attique Shah submitted before the two-member bench comprising the chief justice and Justice Asadullah Khan Chamkani in the missing persons case that the federal government, following the guidelines of the high courts and Supreme Court, had established a task force for missing persons. He said that the task force comprised an additional secretary of the interior ministry as chairman and chief secretaries, inspectors general of police, home secretaries, additional inspectors general and commissioner Islamabad and one representative of the attorney general's office as members. The task force would adopt a methodology for recovery of the missing persons. However, the chief justice said the task force would remain ineffective unless effective legislation was made on the issue of missing persons. "We couldn't stop the cries of families of the missing persons in the court. No force or agency of the country is above the law," the chief justice said. He also added that the judiciary should not be forced to pass strict orders regarding these acts of the agencies that were in violation of the law and constitution. The bench gave four weeks' time to the federal government, the task force and the agencies concerned to find the missing persons.

US okay with Pakistan holding talks with Taliban

Islamabad : The US has supported Pakistan's initiative to start a dialogue with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), saying the move has strong domestic consensus. Speaking at the conclusion of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's visit, a senior State Department official Thursday said the US has no objection to the aims laid out in the negotiation approach. "He (Nawaz Sharif) indicated his intentions (to hold talks with the Taliban) and we indicated our support," the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) quoted the official as saying. "It is his decision. We are not trying to steer him in one direction or another. We certainly have no objections that there is a strong domestic consensus in, at least, trying a negotiated approach. "As we understand, the conditions are that the TTP has to accept the constitution and the rule of law and of course we accept those objectives. We support those objectives," the official added. Earlier, Sharif said the US was informed that Pakistan had made a conscious decision on holding talks with the Taliban as part of efforts to contain militancy and that Washington should support Islamabad's decision.

Time to respond decisively to Pakistan shelling: BJP

Srinagar : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday said the time has come for India to respond decisively to Pakistan's ceasefire violations in Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing a press conference here, the party's national spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said: "For the past two months, whatever Pakistan has been doing on the Line of Control and the International Border is unacceptable. In two months, there have been 200 violations by Pakistan. "Time has come when we should give a befitting reply to Pakistan. There are also political ways and means to restrain Pakistan from doing this." Javadekar said that when Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah were visiting the International Border (Oct 22), Pakistan was still raining shells there. "They have killed and injured our jawans. This is not tolerable. "Pakistan's politics is Kashmir-centric while according to us the only issue that needs to be resolved is stopping Pakistan-aided terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. "Pakistan gives covering fire to encourage infiltration. Our soldiers were beheaded and ambushed... there was a terror attack in Samba. These are absolutely unacceptable. "Terrorism and talks cannot go together," he said. Replying to a question on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi's Oct 24 remark at an Indore rally that, singed by the riots in Muzaffarnagar of Uttar Pradesh, many Muslim youths were in touch with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Javadekar said: "For campaigning he is free, but he is not free to insult Muslims." "When he said those who started and helped clashes in Muzaffarnagar had links with ISI and would like to go to Pakistan, it is an insult to Indian Muslims. "Indian Muslims have made a deliberate and conscious decision to be part of India. They have no sympathy for Pakistan," he said. Replying to another question on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that he is ready to go to CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) if they wanted (to question him in the coal block allocation case), Javadekar said: "The CBI is under the administrative control of the PMO." "This is another way of getting a clean chit from the CBI as it was given to Lalu Prasad and Mayawati (ex-chief ministers of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, respectively). "It was not the government, but our complaint which the CVC (Central Vigilance Commission) forwarded to the CBI that started the coalgate investigations. "Seventeen billion tonnes of coal were given to 140 private companies causing a loss of Rs.50 lakh crore to the people of the country," Javadekar said.

Goodbye US, Israeli, Saudi alliance: A new order beckons

The Saudi refusal of the rotating Security Council seat has been seen for what it partly is: a tantrum. But it is also a clue to a coming political reality: West Asian politics may well be reverting to normality. The frenetic pace at which events moved in the Bush years after 9/11 when the US could ride two horses, Israel and Saudi Arabia at the same time, on the gallop, is only possible on an extensive “straight”. This was the delusional part of the neo-cons thinking. They thought the US would be on the “straight” forever, having defeated the Soviet Union. But now there is a bend in the race track. As we know, other powers have arisen. The threesome -- Israel, Saudi Arabia and the US -- must perforce pause and take stock. What is the genius? Is the triangular alliance coming apart? Marxists have a fine system of analysis. As long as Israel and Saudi Arabia serve imperialism’s basic interests in the region, their influence in Washington cannot be discounted. But if this “basic” interest, that of being economically and strategically indispensable of imperialism is not being served, special relationships or powerful lobbies in the US will not be able to keep these together. Riyadh and Tel Aviv must ponder. Are they useful or a drag on the US “core interests”? The trio was focused on one vision of West Asia. But the opening to Iran now being followed up by the British reopening their embassy in Teheran next week has rendered unfeasible that vision. Israel and Saudi Arabia had set their heart on “getting” Iran. That game stands suspended. Why should an enemy’s enemy now be a friend? The alliance had gummed up a fundamental regional contradiction. How can the Saudis in their original incarnation as leaders of the Arab world be in an alliance with Israel which has occupied Palestinian Arab lands and will not budge? One implication of the apparent Saudi estrangement with the US is that Riyadh will now pull out its peace plan of 2002 and resume its role as an Arab player. This brings into focus such of the Kingdom’s foreign policy thinkers as Prince Turki Al Faisal, former intelligence chief and ambassador to the US. Note the tone of the article he wrote in "The New York Times" over a year ago. “The special relationship between the two countries would increasingly be seen as toxic by the vast majority of Arabs and Muslims who demand justice for the Palestinian people.” So, focus shifts to Palestine. The Saudis dissipated their energies promoting Shia-Sunni strife on an unspeakable scale simply to keep an external focus, away from internal threats. The US too was dragged into this mess. But the Saudis could not keep their eye off tussles within. They began to see Muslim Brotherhood ogres in all the GCC countries; when Mohammad Morse began to consolidate the Brotherhood in Egypt, they rushed and supported the army coup, embarrassing Obama whose photographs were posted in Egypt as a supporter of Morsi. Indeed, photographs of the US ambassador Anne Patterson also came up as a Brotherhood “stooge”. That she was replaced is a sign of which side the US backed. In any case, Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel’s head was constantly popping up as the Egyptian army’s supporter. The Saudis came barging in with their billions and billions to keep the armed forces buoyant. Such a mess. Then Prince Bandar bin Sultan flew into Moscow. His conversation with Vladimir Putin is a study in how diplomacy should not be done. Give us Syria, said Bandar, and take the world. It was like the Biblical yarn about the Devil tempting Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. “Get thee behind me, Satan”, said Christ, refusing the blandishments. When Bandar offered all the guarantees for a “terror free” Sochi Winter Olympic games next year, Putin said “we know you control terrorists”. This amazing conversation was supposed to be under wraps but one of two sides leaked it to the Russian press. Bandar’s other startling undertaking was that whatever he offered the Russians had American backing. This was the trump card, Bandar handed Putin at the global Casino’s high table. The US, Saudis and Israelis together overpower everything else in the region is no longer the name of the game. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran, the Levant will have to seek their salvation together slowly, step by step with other countries of the region. The Saudis may not have wanted to be on the UN high perch because in the new emerging regional system, they have to manage changes secretly which has been their classical style. The new style that Bandar tried to introduce may suit him but it cannot be the style of a cumbersome monarchy, weakened by age, where competing factions must be given voice, until the order changes. King Abdullah will be 90 in a few months. The Saudi system, indeed, the Umma was convulsed by the siege of Mecca in 1979 led by Juhayman bin Sief al Uteybi, a few months after the Iranian revolution. The elders of the monarchy focused on the external Shia threat to manage the internal upheaval. And now, the external target is receding. Refocusing is required. Who knows, the US and the Saudi may pore over a compromise formula that had been worked out in Bahrain, much the most emotive issue in Najaf and Qom. Meanwhile, no one is throwing in the towel, not yet. Israel and Saudi Arabia will beat their breasts and stamp their feet to test if Obama has been able to shuffle out of the establishment strait jacket, custom made for George W. Bush and with which the President has been grappling like a trapped man in a Marcel Marceau skit.

Pakistan, US cannot be close friends: Pakistani daily

Islamabad : While Pakistan and the US continue to cooperate on strengthening bilateral relations, the two sides cannot be "close friends", said a Pakistani daily in an editorial Friday. "Perhaps the raw reality of the Pakistan-US relationship is that while the two countries continue to cooperate because they need each other, neither has any illusions anymore that the two sides can be close friends," the Dawn newspaper said. It said US President Barack Obama is "willing to engage Pakistan on the economic and aid fronts, but the terrorism and militancy issues are as urgent and real as they have ever been". "Even so, Obama himself did not exactly shirk from giving a matter-of-fact assessment of the difficulties in going from the mutually expressed desire to build more sustainable ties to actually achieving that kind of relationship between the US and Pakistan. "But then, neither did Sharif really try to downplay the terrorism threat inside Pakistan nor did he look to overly blame the outside world for Pakistan’s internal troubles," the editorial noted. The daily said the main job that awaits Sharif on his return to Pakistan from the US is "getting to grips with the internal security challenges".

US community groups seek probe into spying on Muslims

Washington: A coalition of 125 religious, racial justice, civil rights, and community-based organizations including South Asians have demanded a civil rights probe into the New York City Police Department's alleged programme of spying on Muslims. The plea has been made in a letter sent Thursday to the Justice Department by the coalition including the American Civil Liberties Union, South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), and the National Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC). Groups representing diverse faith traditions and beliefs who signed the letter include Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian and Jewish, organizations, such as the Hindu American Foundation, the Sikh Coalition, and national, regional, and New York-based Muslim groups. According to SAALT, for years now, the NYPD has been spying on the Muslim American community and in fact, even created a programme dedicated to unwarranted and suspicionless surveillance of Muslims in the New York City area. In addition to spying on mosques and trying to infiltrate community-based organizations, they also monitored restaurants, bookstores, and student groups, it alleged But, the NYPD's actions have implications beyond the civil rights violations of Muslims in the New York City area, SAALT said. "Putting a class of Americans under surveillance based on their religion is a clear violation of our Constitution's guarantees of equality and religious freedom," said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU National Security Project. "The NYPD's surveillance programme has stigmatized Muslims as suspect and had deeply negative effects on their free speech, association, and religious practice," she said.

Libya: Gadhafi's son, others indicted

October 24: A Libyan court today referred Moammar Gadhafi's son and more than 30 others to trial before a higher tribunal on charges ranging from murder to treason during the 2011 uprising, a senior prosecutor said. Prosecutor Al-Seddik al-Sur said the court also decided to appoint defense lawyers for Gadhafi's son, Seif al-Islam, and the late dictator's intelligence chief, Abdullah al-Senoussi. He did not announce a date for the trial before the Criminal Court. Al-Senoussi and al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, Gadhafi's last prime minister, were among about 10 of the 38 Gadhafi-era officials to attend the hearing, held under tight security in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. Seif al-Islam, held by a militia group that captured him as he attempted to flee to neighboring Niger in 2011, was not present. Gadhafi, killed by the rebels, was in power for more than 40 years. Underscoring Libya's lawlessness since the ouster of the Gadhafi regime, gunmen shot dead an air force colonel today as he left his home in the eastern city of Benghazi, the birthplace of the 2011 revolt. It was the latest in a spate of assassinations in Benghazi recently. The killings are blamed on militiamen who fought against Gadhafi's forces but now operate outside state control. Security officials said Col. Adel Khalil al-Tawahi from Benghazi's Beninah air base died instantly when gunmen shot him in the chest and head. Air force personnel from that base joined rebel ranks during the early days of the 2011 uprising. The motive for al-Tawahi's slaying was not immediately clear. Security officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

US offers funds to move Iranian exiles out of Iraq

October 24: The United States today offered USD 1 million to help resettle Iranian opposition exiles currently in Iraq, contributing to a UN appeal in the wake of violence. More than 3,000 members of the People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran, allowed by late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to operate in the country, are staying at a former US military base known as Camp Hurriya, or Liberty, on Baghdad's outskirts. The United States will contribute USD 1 million to a fund launched yesterday by UN chief Ban Ki-moon aimed at finding new homes abroad for the exiles, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said. "We share the conviction that relocation is the only lasting means of guaranteeing the safety and well-being of those residing at Camp Hurriya," Harf said in a statement. Iraqi authorities had ordered the transfer of remaining members of the group's Camp Ashraf, which is in the central province of Diyala, after 52 members died in violence on September 2. The authorities blame infighting in the group for the deaths. The People's Mujahedeen gave a vastly different account of what happened, saying troops entered the camp and set fire to property. The People's Mujahedeen initially took up arms against Iran's shah and then set its sights on toppling the clerical regime that came to power after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The group says it has renounced violence and has enlisted high-profile US supporters in their cause. Last year, the State Department removed its designation as a terrorist organization following similar decisions in Europe. Albania and Germany have agreed to take in exiles, but the UN has struggled to resettle most of them

Eight civilians injured in Pakistan firing

Jammu : Eight civilians were injured Thursday evening after Pakistani troops fired at the international border in Kanachak, Ranbir Singh (R.S.) Pura, Suchetgarh and Abdullian areas of Jammu and Kashmir. A senior police officer told IANS that Pakistan Rangers used mortars, rockets and automatic weapons to target Border Security Force (BSF) posts in the Jammu region. He said, "A Pakistani shell exploded in Garkhal village, injuring eight people, including four women and a child, all from the same family. "The injured have been shifted to a hospital. BSF troops retaliated to the unprovoked shelling and firing by Pakistan, using same calibre weapons. "Pakistani troops also resorted to shelling and light weapons, firing at BSF posts in R.S. Pura, Suchetgarh and Abdullian areas of the international border this (Thursday) evening. BSF retaliated in these areas and till last reports came in, exchange of fire was continuing."