South Asia Tribune

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s good bo Salman Khan turn >> See page 25

Year 2

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Issue 02

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Thursday, 26.07.12

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ISI said we have arrested around 100 people

Legal action initiated against ‘The Sun’: Pakistan Passport scam’ report fake, Nadra investigation reveals

The Federal cabinet, in its session on Wednesday, decided to register a case against tabloid The Sun in British courts, calling its Olympics passport scam report “false propaganda”.

Following the cabinet meeting, Federal Information Minister Qamar Zama Kaira said that legal action had been initiated against the British newspaper.

According to sources, the lawsuit to be filed will be for Rs10 billion in damages.

Despite legal action initiated The Sun filed update to the story and claimed Pakistan’s ISI intelligence service said:

“We have arrested around 100 people. The Sun also wrote as Investigators told them that they feared passport officials at the centre of the racket had links

to potential terrorists and may have given them bogus travel documents to get into the UK. According to the Sun Mohammad Anwar Virk, head of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency, said: “We have arrested dozens of suspects and will interrogate Continued on page 24 >>

“Shoes and Tomatoes in Cairo – Bullets in Israel”

Media ignore alleged assassination attempt on Hillary Clinton in Israel

There was an assassination attempt on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton while she was on an official visit to Israel, according to Israel Radio and a news agency. Two news outlets in India as well as one in Iran report an alleged assassination attempt on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her recent visit in Israel. A Google search as well as Google News search on this story finds no American media outlets reporting the story.

ZeeNews.com, an Indian news web site, reports, “Israel Radio broke the story earlier in the week, which was confirmed by sources inside Israel, but never mentioned again. According to World Mathaba, the purported attack on Hillary was related to the current political upheaval in Israel -- the aim being kill

Hillary, blame Iran and take the focus off the domestic political meltdown in Tel Aviv.”

Iran’s Al-Alam News reported, “Israeli sources reported that the procession of Hillary Clinton Secretary of State was shot on yesterday, while passing through on the road to Jerusalem – Tel Aviv.”

News Track India also reported the story, “According to sources, the attack on Clinton’s convoy, a minimum of three to five vehicles, traveling from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, follows the story earlier of an attack on a bus loaded with Israeli tourists that exploded in Bulgaria, which killed six persons. According to World Mathaba, both the Bulgaria attack and the attempted assassination of Clinton was a Mossad “false flag” operation.

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 July 2012

UK Border Agency to create ‘national allegations database’

UK Border Agency has 275,000 case backlog The home affairs committee has welcomed plans by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) to create a National Allegations Database to manage information provided by the public on possible immigration violations.

In a report on the UKBA’s work between December 2011 and March 2012, the committee says that overall, only 4 per cent of the intelligence reports received from the public resulted in enforcement.

Outlining the figures, the document says that out of 25,600 allegations about possible illegal immigrants or other immigration violations received from the public between 9 December and 29 March, just 900 resulted in an enforcement visit.

It explains that although the agency is performing well in assessing tip-offs from the public quickly, with 98 per cent of the 25,600 allegations during December 2011 Publisher Salah Bu Khamas (UAE) Sabha Khan (UK) UK Office 10 Courtenay Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 7ND UK Phone: +44 20 8904 0619 Fax: +44 20 8181 7575 info@satribune.co.uk

Backlog ‘will take years to clear’

and March 2012 being assessed in 48 hours, it is still interested

in the “low yield” of actionable intelligence that results from these tip-offs.

THE troubled UK Border Agency faces a backlog of cases equivalent to the population of Newcastle, MPs warned today.

Missing foreign criminals, failed asylum seekers, illegal immigrants and others refusing to leave the country make up more than 275,000 cases which the agency still needs to deal with, the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee said.

Keith Vaz, the committee’s chairman, said the backlog,

which will take years to clear, was unacceptable, adding that the agency seems to have “acquired its own Bermuda triangle”.

“It’s easy to get in, but near impossible to keep track of anyone, let alone get them out,” the Labour MP said.

“This is the first time that the committee has collated all the cases at the UK Border Agency that await resolution. This backlog is now equivalent to the entire population of Newcastle upon Tyne.”

On the backlog, the committee said it included at least 150,000 migrants who have been refused

US position on Syria directly endorses terrorism – Lavrov

Russia accused the United States on Wednesday of trying to justify terrorism against the Syrian government and berated Western nations it said had failed to condemn a bomb attack that killed senior security officials.

“To put it mildly, we don’t understand the refusal of our partners to condemn the terrorist attack in Damascus,” he said.

He suggested Washington was using the threat of further attacks to push the U.N. Security Council

U.S. officials have said they would prefer the former course of action.

Lavrov said the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Susan Rice, had cited the July 18 bomb attack in Damascus as evidence that the Security Council should not delay

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, referring to what he said were comments by U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland indicating such attacks were not surprising, said: “This is a direct justification of terrorism.”

to place international mediator Kofi Annan’s peace plan under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter.

Chapter 7 allows the council to authorize actions ranging from diplomatic and economic sanctions to military intervention, although

further in adopting a Chapter 7 resolution.

“In other words this means ‘We will continue to support such terrorist attacks until the Security Council does what we want,’” Lavrov told a news conference after talks with

India Office Satya Infomedia Pvt. Ltd. C/O Satya Group.

1st Floor, Avenue Appt., Near Sheth. R. J. J. High School, Tithal Road, Valsad - 396001 Gujarat, India United Arab Emirates Office S.K. Group of Companies P.O. Box 9021, Karama Dubai, United Arab Emirates Tel: +971 4 2659970, 3359929; Fax: +971 4 2659971, 3341609 www.sk-groupofcompanies.com Managing Editor & CEO Mohammad Shahid Khan Group Editorial Managers Gulzar Khan (India) Abdul Khalique (Pakistan) Editorial Board UK Frances Brunner FYI Tribune team Adrian Fellar Misbah Khan Reema Shah Rohma Khan Keziah-Ann Abakah Marketing & Sales Andrew Klugman (Manager) Art Department UK Ali Ansar (Art Director) Mohammad Reazul Islam

permission to stay in the UK but who may still be in the country illegally, 21,000 asylum cases, and 3,900 foreign offenders living in the community.

A further 57 foreign criminals who were released in 2006 without being considered for deportation have not yet been traced.

A Home Office spokesman said: “This report highlights the improvements we have made to tackle the huge backlog of cases we inherited. Over 2,000 overstayers have been removed following targeted enforcement activity, foreign national offenders are being removed more quickly and we are performing well against visa processing targets.”

Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis.

“This is a terrible position.”

Lavrov criticised Western sanctions on Syria and defended Russia’s veto last week of a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have threatened the Syrian authorities with sanctions if they did not halt violence.

He also reiterated Moscow’s stance that Assad’s departure from power could not be a precondition to a political dialogue aimed at ending the 16-month-old conflict and that Syrians themselves must decide the country’s future.

Two rebel Syrian groups claimed responsibility for the bombing that killed Assad’s brother-in-law Assef Shawkat, a senior commander and one of the pillars of the Assad clan’s rule, as well as Defence Minister Daoud Rajha, intelligence chief Hisham Bekhtyar and veteran army general Hassan Turkmani.

Khamenei: Our enemies won’t dare strike Iran

Says Sanctions Won’t Alter Policies

Iran’s supreme leader says US, Israel too weak to strike Islamic Republic; claims economic sanctions won’t induce Tehran to withdraw its nuclear program Iran’s Supreme Leader Grand Ayatllah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday that tougher economic sanctions on the Islamic Republic will not induce it to withdraw its nuclear program. Quoted by the Fars news agency, the statements were made as Iranian officials held talks with European diplomats in Istanbul.

In a meeting with state officials, Khamenei said, “They (the enemies of Iran) explicitly say that by intensifying the pressure and the sanctions, they are seeking to force Iranian officials to reconsider their calculations.

But in reality, we will not rethink our calculations, and we will continue to trod the path of the Iranian nation more resolutely.”

Khamenei said Iran has offered some concessions in the past, but claimed the West is unwilling to allow what Iran calls a peaceful nuclear program.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 July 2012

NEWS

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Iran threatens to ‘strike out’ at any intervention in Syria

President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has friends in the region poised “to strike out” in the event of an intervention into Syria, says a commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

The warning was particularly sent to “hated” Arab countries. ¬“None of Syria’s friends or the great front of resistance has yet entered the scene, and in the event that this happens, decisive blows will be struck at the enemy, especially the hated Arab rulers,” Gen. Masoud Jazayeri, a spokesman of the country’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Fars news agency.

No country in particular was mentioned. Iran remains a key ally of official Damascus, while leaders of such Gulf countries as Saudi Arabia, Jordan or Qatar openly support Syrian rebels.

The hawkish rhetoric heard from Iran comes on top of the exchange over Syria’s chemical and biological arsenal, which the Arab country

pledged Monday not to use against its own population, but only to combat “foreign aggressors.”

This was the first time Syria’s arsenals became an official reality, since the nation is one of just six non-signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention. Syria’s purported stockpiles of nerve agents, including mustard gas, as well as Scud missiles capable of delivery, are secure according to its Foreign Ministry. Media reports say the weapons are being moved away from sites of severe clashes between pro-regime and opposition forces.

US President Barack Obama and the Pentagon immediately warned Damascus against the “tragic mistake” of deploying the weapons as such with Obama impressing on Assad’s regime that “the world is watching.”

Israel is hinting at an intervention to secure the weapons if Assad’s regime collapses. Israel’s Foreign Ministry admits “the entire non-conventional weapons system is under the full

control of the [Syrian] regime.” But this knowledge apparently did not dissolve the image of Hezbollah laying its hands on the arsenal.

To complete this exchange, Iran’s Jazayeri also dismissed Tuesday the ability of “enemies” to overthrow the Syrian government. “The country’s people and its friends will not allow such a move to take place,” he said.

Still, many recognize the pattern of a psychological war. Paul Lashmar, an investigative journalist and academic at London’s Brunel University, says the accusation may be targeting one goal: to create an image of dangerous Syria, which cannot exercise control over itself.

“Chemical and biological weapons are no good against rebel units that

are fighting in a house-to-house combat. These are weapons you use nation against nation in a full scale battle. The fact that Americans and other countries are getting so concerned is to put the emphasis on Syria as a rogue nation. What is going on is to emphasize that this is a country with chemical and biological weapons that appears to be out of control,” Lashmar told RT. Meanwhile, as the UN estimates the 17-month uprising in Syria has taken over 15,000 lives, the EU tightens an arms embargo on Syria. Now the EU countries are required to search planes and ships if they have “reasonable grounds” to suspect they are carrying arms, dual-use goods or equipment used for “repression” to Syria. Blacklists, already containing 49 organizations and 129 people, were also expanded to 26 people, mostly military officials. Starting Monday they are banned from entering the EU and their assets have been frozen.

Warning: The world is ending and the Messiah is coming!

‘Base of Jihad’ claims responsibility for Burgas attack

An unknown organization going by the name “The Base of Jihad” has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack against Israeli tourists in Burgas. “The month of Ramadan is a month of holy

war and death for Allah,” a statement on behalf of the group said. “It is a month for fighting the enemies of Allah, the Jews and their American facilitators.”

The statement further noted, “The holy war is not confined to a particular arena and we shall fight the Jews and the Americans until they leave the land of Islam.”

Israel and the US pointed a finger at Iran and Hezbollah following the attack.

On one of Israel’s largest websites Ynet a yellow banner with large letters appeared on Saturday proclaiming the coming of the Messiah. “The Messiah is in Israel. This will be the last government of Israel.” A click on the banner leads directly to the website 871. Here, the religious creators of the site warn about the end of the world. “The next leader will be the Messiah Ben David. The situation in the country is getting worse and the government will become more incapable. Only the Messiah can save Israel during the war of Gog and Magog. In the near future the world will witness terrible disasters, like earthquakes and tsunamis. Cities in Europe and the United States will disappear in the sea. The world’s financial system will collapse and God will destroy the Mammon (Yiddish slang for “money”). AntiSemitism in the world will get worse, just like on the eve of World War II. For every inch

of land that the government abandons the people of Israel will be punished for, because this is a rebellion against God. Solely because the two-state solution was discussed in Israel we must pay a high price.

This land was promised to the people of Israel for eternity and who negotiates about the God-given land will not experience the redemption.” The ones behind the website, who regularly publish warning signals in the Israel network, are unknown. The majority of Israel’s society does not take such websites seriously, but still they appear on Israel’s largest Internet portals, such as Ynet.

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EDITORIAL

An attack during the Olympic Games predicted but are we protected or informed America’s “war on terror” never ends. Neither does Britain’s.

After London was named host for this year’s summer games, terrorist fears were stoked.

Former Australian/UK British civil servant Peter Ryan performs security consulting services. He’s advising the International Olympic Committee on London preparations. His consultancy thrives on hyped threats, real or otherwise.

After the city was named host in 2005, he told organizers to “think the unthinkable.” Besides other advice.

Instead of making preparations for the 2012 London Olympics, the United Kingdom seems to be preparing for war — fueling even more the speculations of a false flag terrorist attack.

Nearly 20-thousand British soldiers will help guard against a terror attack at the Olympic Games, and that number keeps rising.

British police are stepping in after a private security firm couldn’t provide enough manpower.

Government officials say they are leaving nothing to chance.

The mayor of London and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner both warned Wednesday that a “lone wolf” attack during

the Olympic Games is a distinct security concern. Both men admitted a lone wolf terrorist attack is a concern in the wake of last week’s midnight cinema massacre in Aurora, Colorado. Mr. Hunt said: “On the eve of the largest peacetime event ever staged in this country, ministers are clear that we should leave nothing to chance.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has said that Israel will be on high alert for terrorist attacks during the London Olympics. A report in the United Kingdom’s Sunday Times quoted unnamed sources, saying that Israel has sent teams of Mossad agents to track down Iranian agents. The Fact is Iran threatens no one. Neither does Hezbollah. Israel is a longstanding regional menace. Its nuclear, chemical and biological arsenal threaten humanity.

Steven Weber, a national security expert and UC Berkeley professor, said he suspected that Israel has sent undercover security to protect its Olympic athletes in the past, with or without seeking permission from host nations.

“I would be willing to place a bet that the Israelis are not entirely confident relying entirely on whoever is hoisting the Olympics to keep their athletes safe,” Weber said.

The Mossad, Israel’s storied intelligence agency, maintains sound relations with MI5, the United Kingdom’s internal counterintelligence and security agency. Despite confirmation from top Israeli officials of their coordination with various intelligence agencies, the government remains mute on specific concerns and security preparations.

Could this be the event that ultimately starts World War 3? Let’s hope not. Let’s hope it’s just another false conspiracy theory.

Now in latest development, US Military analyst Gordon Duff, says he has highly credible information that Israel might pull out a false flag attack during the London Olympics and blame it on Iran, to push the US into war with the Persian country.

Last week Sky News released a video interviewing an insider at G4S firm, who says the private security of the London Olympics is a joke and there’s a 50% chance of deadly weapons get snuck into the Olympic village.

Last week Israeli radio and Reuters broke the story then went mysteriously silent, an assassination attempt inside Israel, on

Secretary of State Clinton.

Soon afterward, Iran’s national network, al Alam went public with a translated version which is being boycotted by news services.

We see this as part of a pattern of escalation by Israel, carefully orchestrated terrorism which may well culminate in an attack on the London Olympics as has been predicted by many. Nothing less could bring about the result Netanyahu desires, a massive US and NATO air attack on Iran, and note this carefully, not an attack on Syria. It is our opinion that this is a valid news story.

We believe the attack on Clinton is related to the current political upheaval in Israel, an attempt to kill Clinton, blame Iran and take the focus off the domestic political meltdown. This follows the story earlier of an attack on a bus loaded with Israeli tourists that exploded in Bulgaria. Six were killed. Netanyahu said he would respond by attacking Iran. It is our opinion that this was a Mossad “false flag” operation much as was the Clinton assassination attempt. Bulgarian security services are trained by the Mossad.

Taking into account the possibility of an Israeli attack on Iran

during the 2012 Summer Games, the Olympic committee in charge of the London event has formed a special team to prepare for the contingency.

According to the Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth on Wednesday., the team — consisting of politicians, diplomats, security officials and organizing committee personnel — wrote in a report that such a strike was entirely possible.

England is thought to be within the range of Iranian missiles and UK officials believe that a military confrontation between Jerusalem and Tehran could involve the country against its will.

The special team listed a number of steps that would need to be taken in the event of such a conflict, among them: opening a special command center, providing secret safe houses for foreign leaders wishing to meet for diplomatic purposes, and preparing for emergency evacuations of dignitaries. Yedioth reported that the recommendations were passed on to the police, who practiced dealing with the mass protests that could erupt if war broke out.

So now our concern if there is threat of a “lone wolf” attack during the Olympic Games or Israel might pull out a false flag attack in London and blame it on Iran. On Monday, the Syrian regime threatened to unleash its chemical and biological weapons if it faces a foreign attack, a threat widely believed to be directed at Israel. Israeli political leaders have said they would be prepared to strike weapons depots to prevent this from happening.

Reflecting the fears, Israeli officials reported a run on gas masks in recent days.

In any situation an attack will be on London with a population of eight million. Do we have a right to be informed what to do if any attack happens or any situation where life is threatened? Has The Government designed any contingency plan for people other than athletes and dignitaries? (The Israeli president Shimon Peres has already cancelled his visit to the Olympic Games in London also Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Russian premier Vladimir Putin is likely to snub the ceremony).

But it seems our government dreaming that if an attack will happen it will be only on Olympic village. Or “war on terror” is to invade and capture other countries at the cost of own citizens.

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 July 2012

Batman massacre suspect appears in court

James Holmes, 24, accused of murdering 12 in cinema

THE man accused of killing 12 people in a shooting at a Batman film screening has appeared in court for the first time.

James Holmes, 24, sat in the Colorado court in a red jail suit with dyed orange hair and appeared dazed during the proceedings.

Seven of 58 people wounded by the gunman remain in critical condition. The dead include a sixyear-old girl and two US military servicemen.

Holmes is accused of throwing two canisters of gas into a busy midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises at the Aurora cinema complex on Friday, before firing at random into the crowd.

Witnesses said he was wearing full body armour during the attack.

Holmes is to be held without bail at a jail in Centennial, Colorado, the judge said.

Unshaven and appearing dazed, Holmes sat virtually motionless during the hearing, his eyes drooping as the judge advised him of the severity of the case.

At one point, Holmes simply closed his eyes. Prosecutors said they did not know if he was being medicated.

Throughout the hearing, his lawyers did all the talking when the judge asked him if he understood his rights.

Holmes appeared in court for the first stage in a process likely

to see him face at least 12 counts of first-degree murder. He could face further charges of aggravated assault and weapons violations.

Prosecutors are to formally file charges on July 30.

The office of prosecutor Carol Chambers is considering whether to press for the death penalty for Mr Holmes, a decision that will be made in consultation with the victims’ families, she said Family members of the victims were in court, many in the first row.

Other family members waited outside the courtroom. Asked what punishment Holmes should face if convicted, David Sanchez, whose heavily pregnant 21-year-old daughter escaped the shooting, said he should be executed.

President Obama visited Aurora on Sunday where he had shared hugs and tears with families as they recounted the lives of their loved ones.

Meanwhile, residents have been laying flowers at a memorial site near the Century cinema and thousands of people have been participating in vigils.

On Saturday police managed to gain access to Holmes’ flat, after making safe explosive booby traps.

The FBI is now collecting evidence, and investigators said a computer found inside his home could provide crucial details.

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 July 2012

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Israel warned to seize Syria weapons Bio weapons will be used if Syria attacked, ministry warns

Syria admits to possessing weapons of mass destruction and says they would be deployed against a foreign attack • Bio weapons will be used if Syria attacked, ministry warns • War Child condemns grave abuses of children by both sides • Clashes shift from Damascus to Aleppo • US increasing support to rebel Free Syrian Army As Israel ramped up its threat to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons cache, Syria foreign ministry stressed on Monday it would not use chemical weapons against its people, stressing Damascus’ commitment to UN special envoy Kofi Annan. unless provoked by an outside attack.

The White House warned the Syrian government Tuesday that it would be held accountable for safeguarding any chemical weapons it possessed.

“Syria will not use any chemical or other unconventional weapons against its civilians, and will only use them in case of external aggression,” foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Maqdissi told a media conference in Damascus.

“Any stocks of chemical weapons that may exist, will never, ever be used against the Syrian people,” he said, adding that in the event of foreign attack, “the generals will be deciding when and how we use them.”

Maqdissi warned against “the possibility of foreign parties

arming terrorist groups... with bacteriological weapons that might explode in a village, so that Syrian forces can then be blamed.”

He slammed an Arab League meeting

which asked for resident Bashar alAssad to step down, saying all Arab statements on halting violence in Syria were hypocritical.

“We are sorry that the Arab League has descended to this level concerning a member state of this institution,” he said, adding that “this decision only concerns the Syrian people, who are the sole masters of fate of their governments.”

“If the Arab nations who met in Doha were honest about wanting to stop the bloodshed they would have stopped supplying arms... they would stop their instigation and propaganda,” Maqdissi said, adding: “All their statements are hypocritical.”

He considered the decisions taken

by the Arab League as a “flagrant interference in Syria’s internal affairs.”

Maqdissi also stressed that the Syrian army was in a defense action,

warning that “everyone who holds weapon must be met by weapon.”

Meanwhile, the spokesman voiced Damascus’ commitment to Annan’s plan until achieving success, noting: “It is clear who is hindering the mission and who is funding and arming.”

“Earlier, they hindered the Arab observer’s mission. Then they voted to send international mission,” Maqdissi said, stressing: “Who decides the suspension of the mission is the UN Security Council.”

Makdissi’s remarks came after White House spokesman Tommy Vietor and several Western media claimed that Damascus possesses and intends to use chemical weapons

Crack down operation launched against Nadra, passport officials

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday arrested at least two dozen suspects, including deputy director and assistant director of Directorate general of immigration and passports, allegedly involved in a

fake passport scam.

Yesterday, a British tabloid had allegedly uncovered a visa scam involving Pakistan’s Olympic contingent.

According to the investigations, a group of travel agents and a politician named Abid Choudhary, are involved in the scam which allows anyone to travel with the Pakistani contingent as support staff if they pay a certain amount of money.

Several raiding teams of the FIA launched a crack-down operation in Lahore and arrested at least two dozen employees of Nadra, immigration and passport office and several other independent agents.

Immigration/ passport office’s Deputy Director Shahid Iqbal and Assistant Director Mubashir Tirmizi have also been taken into custody for questioning.

The FIA has also confiscated records and computers of several travel agents.

Earlier, eight employees of Nadra have been suspended and Chairman Nadra Tariq Malik had ordered inquiry into the matter.

against its own people.

The allegations are believed to be the first attempts at orchestrating an Iraq-like scenario against Syria.

will be held accountable for doing so,” he said aboard Air Force One as President Barack Obama headed for Texas

Barak: Israel ready to seize Syria weapons

On July 18, the New York Times reported that US officials have recently been in talks with Israelis ‘’about whether Israel might move to destroy Syrian weapons facilities’’.

“There are certain responsibilities that go along with the handling and storage and security of those chemical weapons,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters when asked whether there was any U.S. intelligence that backed up news reports on the prospects for Syria resorting to chemical weapons against its opponents.

“We believe that the individuals who are responsible for living up to those challenges should do so and

The Israeli military is prepared to seize Syria’s chemical weapons and missiles and to stop refugees from crossing the border, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said.

Barak said Friday that Israel will block any move by President Bashar Assad’s regime to transfer advanced weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon, Ynetnews reported. He said the army has been ordered to increase its monitoring of Syria’s weapons stockpiles.

If necessary, Israel would strike inside Syria, Barak said.

U.S. intelligence agencies say Syria has the largest stockpile in the world of chemical weapons, including mustard gas and the deadly nerve agents Sarin and VX. While Syrians have poured over the border into Turkey, so far none have attempted to reach Israel, Barak said. That could change if Assad’s regime falls, and the army is “alert and ready” to deal with any influx, he said.

Read more: http://www. upi.com/Top_News/WorldNews/2012/07/21/Barak-Israelready-to-seize-Syria-weapons/UPI14471342896037/#ixzz21SItfmzy

Olympic ‘terror visas’ racket

The Sun Claim Pakistan passport gang is smashed

The Sun claimed on Monday to have smashed a VISA scam giving potential terrorists the chance to sneak into Britain with Pakistan’s Olympic team.

An undercover Sun man infiltrated a crime ring offering false passports, visas — and access to London 2012 as bogus support staff.

The paper said: “We uncovered a ring of corrupt Pakistani officials and travel staff conspiring with

a prominent politician to bypass stringent security”.

“First they provided our undercover investigator with a genuine Pakistani passport in a false name. Then leading Lahore politician Abid Chodhary spelled out how for around £7,000 he could get our man a twomonth visa — and smuggle him into London 2012 as part of Pakistan’s Olympic squad”.

The newspaper secretly filmed Mr Chodhary as he explained how easy it was to get into the Olympic Village by masquerading as a member of the athletes’ support team.

“We were told we could even take part in Friday’s opening ceremony,” the paper noted.

At no point did any of the corrupt officials question our reason for wanting to sneak into Britain.

An investigation was under way yesterday after we alerted MI6, the Home Office, the UK Border Agency and the British High Commission in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 July 2012

36 Mass Murders Across America in 30 Years

The horrific slaughter at a movie theater in Colorado is the latest in an epidemic of gun violence.

Some of world’s worst mass shootings: __ July 20, 2012: At least 12 people are killed when a gunman enters an Aurora, Colo., movie theater, releases a canister of gas and then opens fire during opening night of the Batman movie “The Dark Knight Rises.” _ July 22, 2011: Confessed mass killer Anders Behring Breivik kills 77 in Norway in twin attacks: a bombing in downtown Oslo and a shooting massacre at a youth camp outside the capital. The self-styled anti-Muslim militant admitted both attacks.

Attempts to link last year’s Norway shootings to Call of Duty are spectacularly misguided. Moral panic about violent video games is based on prejudice, ignorance and the selective use of flawed research On June 6th, 1984, the Russian video game Tetris was released, in which players had to build a wall. On June 12th, 1987 - days after the game’s third anniversary - President Reagan demanded that Mikhail Gorbachev, “Tear down this wall!” Nobody can disprove that Reagan was an avid player of the game, and it seems almost inevitable that three frustrating years trying to build walls out of misaligned bricks led to the outburst that changed the course of history.

Correlations like these would be lost to us were it not for the efforts of the Labour MP, Keith Vaz. Vaz has worked tirelessly in recent years to demonstrate the link between violent video games and historic acts of violence, tracing the correlation right back to the tragic consequences that Rome: Total War inflicted on the Gauls. As far back as 2004, he was attempting to link the murder of Stefan Pakeerah to Manhunter, undeterred by the minor point that his killer didn’t have the game. By 2010 he was using an Early Day Motion to tie Counter-Strike to pretty much every newsworthy use of a gun that year.

In recent weeks the tireless MP has used the 2011 Norway attacks to put Call of Duty in his sights. In a new EDM he asks the House of Commons to note “that in his submission of evidence to the court [Anders] Breivik describes how he

trained for the attacks using the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare;” and to declare that he “is disturbed that Breivik used the game to help hone his ‘target acquisition’ and the suggestion that the simulation prepared him for the attacks.” In the latest EDM, Vaz

acquiring experience related to sights systems.”

invokes Breivik’s claim that he used Call of Duty for ‘target acquisition training’, before calling for greater regulation of first-person shooters and restrictions on violent content. Anders Behring Breivik has described how he “trained” for the attacks he carried out in Norway last summer using the computer game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

The 33-year-old said he practised his shot using a “holographic aiming device” he had bought to use with the war simulation game, which he said is used by armies around the world for training.

“You develop target acquisition,” he said. He used a similar device during the shooting attacks that left 69 dead at a political youth camp on the island of Utøya on 22 July.

Describing the game, he said: “It

the film world has the topless woman in The Rescuers or advertising has the suggestive image in a cube of ice in a coke ad, games have been just as controversial too. Sometimes, though, we have to say it’s legitimate. Now, some of these are a bit creepy (and slightly unsuitable for minors), so be warned. Let’s start with WarioWare Touched on DS. t definitely says “I grant this kid to hell” or “I have granted kids to hell” depending on your own personal opinion. Of course, it’s just made up of Ashley’s words, picked out by the fast-forward feature as it skips over certain parts of the track. Maybe it was deliberate… it fits with her Emily Strange-like character, after all. But we’re creeped out by it.

God of War II has a hidden message that appears in the sky when you trigger

consists of many hundreds of different tasks and some of these tasks can be compared with an attack, for real.

That’s why it’s used by many armies throughout the world. It’s very good for

a secret orb stash, echoing the words of Robert Oppenheimer, the ‘father of the nuclear bomb’. When Oppenheimer saw the world’s first nuclear test in 1945, he said: “Now I am become

Gaming’s hidden messages Subliminal messages? Hidden Easter Eggs? Or are you just looking for things that aren’t really there? While

Death, the destroyer of worlds” based on verse 32 from Chapter 11 of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu script.

And there it is, written slowly in the sky above Kratos – perhaps because of all the power you just absorbed.

Whether we like it or not, we are subliminally programmed and dumbed down not to question reality. Computer Games were created for the purpose of wasting time, and releasing stress. All computer games are ultra-violent in order to let out the stress. The more violence in the video game, the more it sells. People often mistake Computer Games with real life violence, claiming that computer games only cause people to become violent. In reality, computer games are much more violent than the real world will ever be. The truth is that people who play computer games get desensitized to violence, It is a wellknown fact that all computer games have subliminal messages hidden beneath the graphics, created with the sole intention of inducing the player into a false sense of security.

Thus, all computer games are in fact ultra-violent even though they may not appear to be so to the naked eye.

Even the most innocent games targeted at children are in fact latently ultraviolent too, intented to drive innocent children nuts and make them go on a rampage.

How Subliminal Message Affects Your Mind Have you ever wondered why we are so additive to certain things? Or why our society behave the way it does? Many of the common behaviors in our society did not occur by accident but was

planned out. Through our education, religion and media systems, we were slowly conditioned to behave the way they want us to behave. Fortunately, the human mind is strong enough that

their brainwashing techniques are not 100 percent effective. One of their best techniques to use for controlling our thought pattern is subliminal message.

Subliminal message is a message designed to stimulate and reprogram our subconscious mind. Because it is designed to target our subconscious mind, we are usually not aware of it.

This feature makes subliminal message very effective at controlling our thought patterns. Depending on how it is used, subliminal message can help us or harm us.

Some of the most popular subliminal messages used by corporations and the government involve sex, drug, food, fear and violence. Next time you watch TV, pay very close attention to the show or commercial you are watching and you may notice how these five topics are incorporated in it. This is one of the main reasons why people are so addictive to sex, drug, food, fear and violence. The reason why corporations and the government used these five topics the most is because they are very effective at selling their idea or product. Out of these five, sex is the most popular for corporations because it sells.

This is why most ads or commercials usually contain something that is related to sex. Now you may realize why corporations are willing to invest millions of dollars on ads that contain subliminal messages.

Subliminal messages are designed to target your mind because it is a part of the intellect, self-awareness and consciousness field of who you are.

Once they influence your mind to a certain point, they can use subliminal messages to control your thought patterns. The main mediums used for this are: TV, computer, music player, video game, radio, magazine, book and newspaper. To start the process of detoxing your mind of these addictive and brainwashing subliminal messages, start reducing the amount of time you spend using these mediums.

Instead of only relying on mainstream media for information, start looking at alternative media for information. More importantly, learn to discipline your mind by reducing distraction and look within you for answers. Once you start detoxing your mind of these addictive and controlling subliminal messages, your life will start to feel less stressful.

You may notice that many of your addictions toward sex, drug, food and violence will significantly drop. This is because you have become aware of the subliminal messages that are affecting your subconscious mind; therefore, they are no longer controlling you at the subconscious level.

7

NEWS

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 July 2012

Explosion Rocks S. Arabia’s Intelligence Headquarters

Reports from Saudi Arabia said an explosion rocked the Arab country’s intelligence headquarters and killed the Saudi deputy intelligence chief.

The Arabic al-Fajr news website reported from Saudi Arabia that the deputy head of Saudi Arabia’s secret service has been killed in the blast.

No official report has yet been released on the incident.

On Thursday night Prince Bandar bin Sultan was appointed Saudi Arabia’s new spy chief.

Prince Bandar, 63, who vanished from public view when he was recalled from Washington by King Abdullah in 2005 after notching up 22 years as the kingdom’s ambassador there, will immediately be thrust into a Middle East crisis.

The US’ closest Arab ally is a

New Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan

supporter of the Syrian rebels who want to oust president Bashar alAssad and is mending fences with Washington after a disagreement over the Arab uprisings.

In an unexpected royal move, an

Israel is preparing for a possible military intervention in Syria Israel is preparing for a possible military intervention in Syria in case the Syrian government hands missiles or chemical weapons to Hezbollah, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Friday.

analyst said on national television Friday night. Roni Daniel, of Israel’s most-watched news station Channel 2, made the prediction immediately after Defense Minister Ehud Barak had indicated warily in two TV

“I have instructed the military to increase its intelligence preparations and prepare what is needed so that... (if necessary)... we will be able to consider carrying out an operation,” Barak said in an interview on Channel 10 News. Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Friday reiterated the Israeli assertion that Hezbollah with Iranian help was behind Wednesday’s terror attack in Bulgaria which killed five Israelis, but said that the identity of the suicide bomber was still unknown.

Speaking in an interview with Channel 2, Barak rejected claims that the attack represented an intelligence failure for Israel. “There is no country whose intelligence gathering capabilities have a wider range than Israel’s...I don’t think we have anything to apologize for,” the defense minister stated.

Israel “will have to strike” at Syrian weapons shipments if they are being transferred to Hezbollah in Lebanon amid the collapse of the Assad regime, a prominent Israeli military

interviews that Israel was preparing options to ensure Syrian weapons did not reach the pro-Iranian Hezbollah.

Israel and the United States are closely monitoring any movement concerning Syria’s chemical weapons’ stockpiles, as concerns are growing that terror groups are taking advantage of the chaos in the country to seize them.

US intelligence services claim that Syria’s nonconventional weapons arsenal – considered the biggest in the world – includes stockpiles of mustard gas, VX and Sarin gas, as well as the missile and artillery systems to deliver them. Both Iran and Hezbollah have denied any involvement in the attack.

Bulgarian investigators said on Friday that they had managed to obtain DNA samples from the fingers of the bomber and were checking databases in an attempt to identify him. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov told parliament he hoped that would be done in 3-4 days.

order was issued by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on [July 19] removing Prince Muqrin Bin-Abdal-Aziz from his post as head of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID) and appointing Prince

Bandar Bin-Sultan as his successor.

Prince Muqrin was appointed head of the intelligence services in 2005, succeeding his brother Nawaf.

Prince Bandar, who used to be nicknamed “Bush’s Bandar” due to

his close ties with the Bush family in the United States, was known as a key link in relations between Washington and Riyadh. He also had exceptional relations with presidents and senior officials of successive US administrations over the past 30 years. Evidence of the depth of the relationship between Bandar and the US was provided by famous American author Bob Woodward in an article of his in the Washington Post, which said that Prince Bandar was shown essential details of the war plan against Saddam Hussein, even before then-US Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Burgas attack: A false flag operation?

Does Iran really need to attack Israeli tourists?

Following the attack on Israeli tourists in Bulgaria, the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to accuse Hezbollah, which also means pointing finger at Iran. Yet experts doubt Tehran really needs it.

Eight people were killed, six of whom were Israeli citizens, while one was a Bulgarian bus driver and one was the suicide bomber himself.

And while it is no secret that Hezbollah is supported

by Iran, the fact that Netanyahu is now naming the group will only raise tensions in the region higher.

There is a lot of speculation now over whether or not naming Hezbollah means Netanyahu will try and use the bombing as a pretext for striking back by attacking Iran.

But Tehran is unlikely ‘to cater to the wishes of the Israelis by providing them an excuse to attack’, independent journalist Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich told RT. RT: Netanyahu pointed the finger at Iran barely an hour after the attack – even before his own intelligence officials had commented, saying that “all signs point at Iran.” What signs is he referring to?

Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich: I don’t believe there are any signs at all, and it can be expected that Netanyahu would point the finger at Iran. Netanyahu, and Israel in fact, need to play the victim card in order to be more aggressive. In the past few months and years, Israel has lost a lot of support even here in the United States. Americans have always sympathized with the state of Israel in the past. But now, even American Jews who do relate to their home country are beginning to pull back. They do not like what is going on in Israel under this prime minister.

RT: But Israel is the victim in this case. Somebody bombed those buses. Do you think there is a legitimate concern that it could be Iran, or who else do you think could be possible suspects here?

SSU: I think many in your audience will know that Israel excels at false flag operations. And in fact in 2004, the New Zealand Herald revealed that Israelis tried to steal New Zealand passports in order to carry

out assassinations. And they had stolen Canadian passports to kill members of the Jordanian political elite.

I can’t say for certainty that Israel was behind this or that this was a false flag attack, but I only look at who gains by this operation judging from their past behavior. And to me it does not make sense that Iran would want to carry out this operation.

RT: How far do you think such accusations against Iran could worsen the already tense situation between the two countries?

SSU: I think it depends on how much sympathy Israel can get for what’s happened, how it presents the argument.

Iran is not a very attractive country to the world, and the masses are very happy to accept whatever they are told. Like they are told by Mr. Netanyahu, who has stolen from America, who was in this nuclear smuggling ring in the 80s and 90s, and FBI files show that. If they chose to believe him and believe his pointing-finger at Iran, well that shows their naivety. But for me it is very hard to accept that Iran would willingly have the world condemn it and cater to the wishes of the Israelis by providing them an excuse to attack.

NEWS

8

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 July 2012

TV depiction of revered Islamic figure causes stir in Arab world

A television series depicting the life of second Muslim Caliph Omar ibn al-khattab is sparking a heightened debate in the Arab world with thousands opposing the depiction of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) or his companions.

“The symbols of the Ummah (nation) are a red line,” a Facebook user wrote on a page called “No to airing Omar,” report.

The actors “will tarnish the image (of the prophets and companions) through their roles in other films and series and plays,” another said.

The controversy began with the beginning of Ramadan when Saudi producers, the Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC), started airing a TV series titled “Omar”.

It tells the story of Omar Ibn al-Khattab, a close companion of Prophet Muhammad and influential ruler who oversaw the expansion of the Muslim empire in the 7th century.

Omar Ibn al-Khattab was the second Caliph and one of the 10 close companions of Prophet

Muhammad, who were promised paradise.

The series is said to be the largest ever Arabic production, with 30,000 actors and a technical team from 10 different countries who toiled 300 days to make the 31-part series.

Hundreds of people joined a

both Al-Azhar’s Islamic Research Academy and the Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America, told AlMasry Al-Youm that the series has not been referred to the academy for approval.

Traditionally, works of art related to Islam have been summited to

“Both Al-Azhar and the academy stick to forbidding the personification of prophets, members of Prophet Mohamed’s household, and [his] ten companions that were promised paradise.”

Al-Masry Al-Youm said it contacted

Facebook campaign demanding the show not be broadcast, under the title, “No to showing Farouk Omar series” The controversy began with the beginning of Ramadan when Saudi producers, the Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC), started airing a TV series titled “Omar”.

Mohamed Othman, a member of

Al-Azhar, the world’s chief Sunni learning institution, before being shown.

“If the series was submitted to us at the academy, as it includes personifications of the four Righteous Caliphs we wouldn’t have hesitated to prohibit showing it. That is our firm stand, which we won’t change,” said Othman.

the headquarters of MBC Group in Dubai to ask about its position after both the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia and Egypt’s Islamic Research Academy released fatwas against the show, and rumors circulated that the network is under pressure to refrain from airing the series in Ramadan. The MBC administration, however, refused

to comment, saying it would issue a statement explaining its position soon.

MBC has said the series is the biggest drama production in the history of modern television. It has been marketed globally and the rights to broadcast it have been granted to several television networks around the world, including the Turkish ATV network, which will show it dubbed into Turkish.

Two months ago, Al-Azhar, which is located in Egypt, denounced Iran’s intention to produce a movie recounting the Prophet Mohamed’s life story. Al-Azhar scholars and Sunni communities rejected the work and demanded Iran ban screenings of the film.

A series depicting the life of Hassan and Hussein, the Prophet Mohamed’s grandsons, was also met with staunch criticism from Al-Azhar, mainly due to the characterization of the Prophet’s companions and family members.

However, it was encouraged by a group of intellectuals, jurisprudents and enlightened religious scholars who are generally described as modernists.

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international

Thursday, 26.07.12

Pranab Mukherjee swornin as 13th President Pranab Mukherjee was on Wednesday sworn in as the country’s 13th President at an impressive ceremony in the packed and historic Central Hall of Parliament.

Chief Justice of IndiaH Kapadia administered the oath of office to Mukherjee in the presence of Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Union Ministers, Governors and a host of dignitaries.

Dressed in a black achkan (longcoat) and white churidar (trousers), Mukherjee took the oath of office in the name of God in English to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution and the law”.

Mukherjee was then given a 21-gun salute after which he signed the oath register amid a thunderous applause and thumping of desks.

The oath taking ceremony, marked by pomp and grandeur, began with

Pakistan PM given longer to reopen probe Pakistan government defies order to reopen presidential corruption case continuing political crisis

the arrival of outgoing President Pratibha Patil and President-elect Mukherjee in a procession from the Rashtrapati Bhawan to the Parliament Building. They were greeted by Kapadia, Ansari and Kumar who escorted them to the Central Hall.

After the short ceremony, Mukherjee and Patil were escorted out of the Central Hall amid the roll of drums and blowing of trumpets.

Government says it will not comply with court demand because president enjoys immunity from prosecution while in office Pakistan’s government has told the nation’s supreme court it will not reopen an old corruption case against the president, defying a judicial order that has brought down one prime minister and threatens his replacement.

Continued on page 10 >>

Assam violence: Death toll rises to 41; nearly 2 lakh displaced, many flee to neighbouring Bengal Six more people have died Wednesday in clashes between minority Bangladeshi Muslims immigrants and Bodos in four districts of lower Assam; 41 people have died in the ethnic strife since Friday, July 20. Entire villages have emptied out after houses were burnt down. Buses, cars and schools were set afire too. In the last four days since clashes began, nearly 2 lakh people have had to flee their homes. Over 10,000 people have reportedly escaped into neighbouring West Bengal.

The Army today mobilised about 1000 troops to enforce peace in the areas. “The troops are also

carrying out flag marches in these areas,” officials said. There has

been curfew in the four districts since the weekend. Curfew was

relaxed for few hours in Kokrajhar today, but has been reimposed

indefinitely. Curfew has also been Continued on page 10 >>

SAARC

10

Saarc international I Thursday 26 July 2012

Contempt law case: Violation of court order constitutes contempt, says CJ

The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard petitions against the recently passed contempt of court law, DawnNews reported.

A five-judge bench of the apex court comprising Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Shakirullah Jan, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, Justice Jawad S Khawaja and Justice Tassadduq Hussain Jilani heard the petitions against the law.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry said in his remarks that it was the foresight of the politicians that the issue was not brought up during the passage of the 18 Amendment and in turn the contempt of court law was given protection.

The chief justice moreover said that

the Constitution did not allow anyone to ridicule the court on the basis of immunity.

He further said that violation of any court’s order was tantamount to committing contempt.

The court also censured the opposition’s walkout during the parliamentary proceedings on the contempt of court law.

Justice Khilji said the opposition’s walkout was a grave injustice to the voters.

The court asked for a record of the parliamentary proceedings that took place regarding the passage of the new contempt of court law.

In his remarks, Justice Jilani said that the case was being heard not because it

involved influential personalities but because it involved the system.

He added that the judiciary respected the parliament but the issue was not about the parliament but about the well-being of the whole system.

Justice Khawaja in his remarks said

Pakistan asks India to bid for oil supply through land route Islamabad has asked Delhi to compete in tenders floated by Pakistan State Oil (PSO) for oil supply through land route.

As Pakistan wants to meet only 20% to 25% of its needs for petroleum products from India to avoid overreliance on the old rival due to security concerns, the two countries have failed to seal a big deal as Islamabad has asked Delhi to compete in tenders floated by Pakistan State Oil (PSO) for oil supply through land route.

At present, Pakistan has a long-term oil supply agreement with Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) and India is also interested in entering into such an arrangement. However, according to sources, Pakistan has asked Indian authorities in recent talks in New Delhi to participate in PSO tenders for oil supply through land route of Wagah, which is currently not allowed.

Sources said the petroleum ministry had asked the commerce ministry to allow import of petroleum products via land route. “India has agreed to participate in oil import tenders,” a source said.

Pakistan is interested in importing petrol, diesel and furnace oil.

However, it will meet only additional oil requirements from India and will continue to import from the Gulf countries, including Kuwait.

“We will continue to import oil from Kuwait and other Gulf countries in a bid to ensure secured supplies,” a government official said, adding imports from India would not be more than 20% to 25% because of security considerations.

Pakistan wanted to keep other sources of oil supply open, so that it could get oil from them if India stopped shipments in case of some tension, he said.

Pakistani community warmly receives Olympic Relay

LONDON: Pakistan community warmly welcomed the Olympic Relay when it was reached at Hounslow.

A large number of Pakistani carrying their green and white color national flags were gathered.

The Pakistani women, children and youngsters were very enthusiastic when the participants of Olympic Relay reached at High Street. The Pakistani community representatives gathered around their national flag and they raised slogans on the occasion.

that the new law was a matter of concern for the common man.

Also during the hearing, Abdul Rehman Siddiqui, a petitioner’s counsel, argued that the new contempt law was legislated to curtail the powers of the judiciary and was in violation of

the Constitution. He moreover said that the new law contradicted with Islamic teachings.

Siddiqui added that the prime minister and officials of the ruling government may face contempt of court cases, hence the new law had been passed with ill intentions.

He asked the court to declare the law as void and said that legislation over the contempt law was the prerogative of the Supreme Court.

Advocate Abdul Shakoor Paracha, representing the federal government, said that he had come to the Supreme Court not to defend the contempt of court law but to assist the court.

The hearing was later adjourned until Thursday.

Continued from page 9 >>

Assam violence

extended indefinitely in Chirang and Dhubri districts where night curfew had been in place so far. Trains have been targeted and the entire North-East was cut off by rail for two days. Eight Assambound trains that were stuck in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district since yesterday are finally on their way to Dibrugarh as services resumed in the Alipuduar-Kokrajhar section. Special trains will run tomorrow to help stranded passengers; overnight trains will resume from tonight.

The Army is helping to ensure that the tracks are clear. Union Home Secretary RK Singh said that 2,000 Central security personnel have been deputed to guard Guwahati-bound trains and railway tracks.

The Railways estimate that more than 30,000 train passengers were stranded in different places since Monday. Many of them have made alternative arrangements, some buying expensive air tickets. More than 10,000 passengers are, however, still stranded at stations, grateful for any food they can come by.

Pakistan PM given longer to reopen probe Pakistan’s attorney general, Irfan Qadir, appeared before the court on Wednesday and told the judges that Ashraf also refused to reopen the case because of the president’s immunity. “Your order is not implementable,” said Qadir.

He accused the lead judge, Asif Saeed Khosa, of being biased against the president and said he should recuse himself from the proceedings – a demand rejected

by Khosa.

Many government supporters have accused the supreme court of relentlessly pursuing the case because of bad blood between Zardari and the chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

Khosa demanded the new prime minister write the letter to the Swiss, but also seemed to soften the court’s stance, saying the judges would respect the president’s immunity if the government obeyed their order. He also gave the government more time to come

up with a solution. Wednesday was the initial deadline for the government to say whether it would fulfil the court’s order, but Khosa adjourned the hearing until 8 August.

The judge’s somewhat softer stance could be a reaction to criticism of the court for threatening to bring down the first civilian government poised to finish its five-year term in the country’s history. Past governments were toppled by direct or indirect intervention by the country’s powerful army, often with help of the judiciary.

The current government’s term ends in early 2013.

It’s unclear whether the judge’s comments will alter the government’s stance. Zardari has said in the past that his government would never write the letter. “I will make a genuine and serious effort to solve this issue,” said Qadir.

SAARC

Saarc international I Thursday 26 July 2012

11

WEEKLY REVIEW OF AFGHANISTAN NEWS

Afghanistan warns Pakistan over cross-border shelling

Kabul - Afghanistan on Sunday warned Pakistan any further cross-border shelling could significantly harm relations, just days after the leaders of the two strife-torn neighbours met for peace talks.

More than 300 heavy artillery shells and rockets were fired from Pakistan into Afghanistan’s Dangam district, eastern Kunar province Friday and Saturday, killing at least four people, provincial spokesman Wasifullah Wasifi told AFP. Last month, a barrage of cross-border fire from Pakistan into Kunar forced thousands of villagers to flee their homes after Islamabad accused Kabul of protecting militants who infiltrated to kill 13 Pakistani soldiers.

Afghanistan and Pakistan typically blame each other for violence by Taliban Islamic militants plaguing both sides of their porous border.

Afghanistan Deputy Foreign Minister Jawed Ludin Sunday summoned Pakistan’s ambassador in Kabul to discuss the latest barrage of periodic shelling across the border known as the Durand Line, a foreign ministry statement said.

“Any continuation of such reported shelling against Afghan villages could have

a significant negative impact on bilateral relations,” the statement quoted Ludin as telling ambassador Mohammad Sadiq.

Pakistan denied the claim and called it “incorrect”.

“Pakistani troops only respond to and engage militants from where they are attacked/ fired upon,” said a senior military official in Islamabad.

Over last year he said at least 15 cross border attacks were carried out by militants against Pakistani check points and the civilian populations in northwestern towns Dir and Chitral.

Both sides agreed to hold a senior-level meeting of military officials soon in Afghanistan’s eastern city of Jalalabad over the shelling and improve military

Pakistan Military Launches Air Strikes kill 15 militants in northwest Pakistan

KALAYA, Pakistan: Pakistan military jets have attacked four locations in the northwestern Orakzai tribal region, killing an unknown number of suspected Taliban militants.

Speaking to RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal, an intelligence official confirmed the attack took place on July 22, but was unable to say how many militants had been killed.

The Reuters news agency cited unnamed military officials as saying 15 militants died in the attacks, but said the toll could not be verified.

Earlier, Afghan officials in the eastern province of Kunar say a village near the border with Pakistan was struck on July 21 by an artillery barrage from Pakistani government forces.

Wasifullah Wasif, a spokesman for the governor of Kunar Province, told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal that four people were killed by the barrage at the village of Dangam.

Wasif said 10 houses in the village also were destroyed by the barrage -- the latest in a series of attacks in the area during the past month.

Provincial officials and residents have asked the Afghan government to take diplomatic action to stop the cross border artillery barrages.

In the past, Pakistani officials have said they are trying to target Pakistani militants near the border.

Several militant groups, including the Pakistan Taliban, are active in the semi-autonomous tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan.

coordination along the Durand Line, the statement said.

President Hamid Karzai’s office said the issue was raised in a national security council meeting on Sunday and security officials were instructed “to put into place all due actions necessary.”

Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, responding to a question at a news conference with Karzai on Thursday, said Pakistan was also attacked from Afghanistan and the issue had been raised in a meeting between the two leaders.

“From this side, from the Kunar side, we get attacks on our armed forces and our civilians... We have discussed all these things, and now we have to do our utmost... to control such happenings,” Ashraf said.

Senior Taliban commanders killed in Nuristan province

At least three Taliban fighters and a minor girl were killed in the blitz of foreign forces in Want Waigal district in Nuristan province Monday, officials, Taliban and area residents said.

The Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid told AIP a vehicle their fighters were travelling in came under the airstrike of foreign forces in the limits of Want Waigal district. Three Taliban fighters were killed and two more injured in the blitz, he added. The dead did not include high-ranking Taliban.

Meanwhile, the Nuristan police chief Ghulamullah said five Taliban fighters, including their commander Habibullah alias Dadullah were killed in the blitz carried out in Wafaq Khwar area in Want Waigal district.

Kabul to decide troops’ withdrawal: US envoy The United States’ outgoing ambassador to Afghanistan, Ryan Clark Crocker, has made it clear that no decision has yet been made for total withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan by end 2014.

He added the decision in this connection would be taken by the Afghan administration with a new president in place then and in consultations with the international partner countries currently providing assistance to Afghanistan, but the verdict of the Afghan government would prevail.

Ryan Clark said that the security of entire Afghanistan would be handed over to the Afghan national forces by end of 2014.

“The process of withdrawal is already underway, and no deadline has been set for its completion,” the US envoy said here in an exclusive chat with The News the other day in a banquet Afghan President Hamid Karzai hosted in the honour of visiting Prime Minister of Pakistan Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. The ISAF’s American commander, General Allen, was also present. The feast was also attended by the InterServices Intelligence (ISI) chief, Lt General Zaheerul Islam, and a number of other dignitaries.

Meanwhile, General Zaheerul Islam is leaving for Washington, and he will be meeting his US counterpart General David Petraeus in August. It is believed that his meeting with the US CIA chief General Petraeus could prove as a make or break event since the thorny issue of sharing intelligence on terror with regard to use of drones would prominently figure in the meeting besides a number of other ticklish issues. General Zaheer is undertaking the visit on the invitation of General Petraeus.

Ryan C Crocker, who has opted to proceed on retirement, would be engaged in his new business in Texas.To a question, Ryan Crocker said that the presidential elections in Afghanistan next year would be very interesting when the incumbent wouldn’t be contesting, but “it wouldn’t provide an opportunity to Mullah Omer or Taliban reign as they will have to renounce terrorism, detach with al-

Qaida, accept the Afghan constitution and secure the support of the masses.”

He added: “I don’t think the people in Afghanistan would like the return of the Taliban since they have resorted to tyranny and killed scores of innocent people. The democratic government of Afghanistan has embraced the country with unimaginable economic growth that is surpassing the figure of 11 percent. The facilities in education, health, infrastructure and all spheres of life have been indicating a remarkable improvement. I am leaving a much transformed Afghanistan.”

To a question, the US ambassador claimed that his country had no blue-eyed for the next presidential polls in Afghanistan. He was of the view that Taliban activities were confined to a very limited area, and the people of Afghanistan would never let them close to the authority again. “The elimination of extremism across the globe is the agenda of every sane person who is keen to see peace and prosperity of human-beings.”

He said that Pakistan’s decision on the restoration of ground lines of communication (G-LOC) for the Nato forces from its soil should be appreciated. Talking about the visit of Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, he said it was a good move as both the countries must enhance their mutual cooperation for the sake of their people and peace.

SAARC

12

Saarc international I Thursday 26 July 2012

WEEKLY REVIEW OF BANGLADESH NEWS

Graft charges: Abul goes, finally

Syed Abul Hossain on Monday finally stepped down as the information and communication technology minister amid mounting pressure from within and outside the government over graft charges in the Padma Bridge project.

The former communications minister neither attended the weekly cabinet meeting nor was present at his office in Agargaon, triggering rumours of his resignations.

Abul Hossain, who was inducted in Sheikh Hasina’s cabinet on January 6, 2009, served as communications minister for

around three years.

In the wake of the World Bank’s corruption allegation the prime minister gave him the responsibility of the ICT ministry.

He tendered his resignation to the prime minister to facilitate ‘proper investigations’ into the allegations of corruption in the Padma Multi-purpose Bridge Project, brought by global lending agency World Bank, according to officials.

‘I have sent a letter to the prime minister, expressing my decision to resign from the cabinet…I have decided to step down for

the sake of proper investigations into the allegations of graft in the Padma Bridge project,’ Abul Hossain told a private

television channel on the day.

He, however, asserted that the allegations brought against him would eventually

prove false.

Asked about Abul Hossain’s resignation, cabinet secretary Mohammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said that he was not aware of it. He, however, confirmed that Abul Hossain was not present in the cabinet meeting on the day.

Abul Hossain announced his resignation just a day after finance minister AMA Muhith said that the government was considering the World Bank’s fourth condition although it was difficult to persuade the global lender to review its decision on the Padma Bridge project.

Floods aggravate increasing Blake says RAB involved in villagers’ plight in north disappearance, extrajudicial killings

The floods aggravated slightly in the northern districts due to surging waters from across the international border increasing the sufferings of thousands of people with several villages reeling under the waters for weeks.

New Age Lalmonirhat Correspondent

reports over 50,000 people in 50 villages in the district were marooned for the third time by flash floods caused by onrush of waters from the hills on the other side of the border.

The Teesta swelled after India opened all the sluice gates of its Gazaldoba Barrage, Water Development Board executive engineer at Lalmonirhat Enayet Ullah said.

The floods in Lalmonirhat district would take a serious turn if the water flow from the upstream continued for the next 24 hours, he said.

During visits to flooded areas in the Sadar upoazila on Saturday, commerce minister GM Quaderdar distributed relief materials among 1,000 flood hit families.

Each family was given 10 kg of rice, the correspondent reported.

Our Kurigram correspondent reported that the overall state of flooding remained unchanged in the district though the major rivers passing through Kurigram were flowing above their danger marks.

The Flood Forecasting and Warning centre said that the flooding in Kurigram, Gaibandha and Jamalpur were likely to aggravate further in the next 24 hours.

It also said that the flood waters were likely to recede in Sylhet, Sunamganj and Netrokona.

The water level in the Teesta and the Dharla increased suddenly on Friday evening after India opened all the sluice gates of its Gazaldoba Barrage, said WDB officials.

They said that the Teesta was flowing seven centimetre above the danger

mark at Teesta Barrage point at Dowani in Hatibandha upazila.

They said that the Dharla was flowing three centimetres above the danger mark at Kulaghat point in Lalmonirhat sadar upazila.

Our Jamalpur correspondent reported that the floods aggravated in the district with the mighty Jamuna rising.

WDB said the Jamuna which rose by 10 centimetres during last 24 hours was flowing 44 centimetres above the red mark at Bahadurabad ghat point.

The District Relief and Rehabilitation Office said, six unions in Islampur upazila and four in Dewanganj upazila had been completely inundated.

Belgachha union chairman Abdul Khalek said, more than 500 people had to leave their homes in Sindurtoli and Shingdaha villages to take shelter elsewhere after their houses had gone under flood waters.

The Flood Forecasting Department’s bulletin on Saturday said the Jamuna, the Ganges-Padma, the upper Meghna and the Brahmaputra river systems were rising.

It said that on Saturday morning, the Dharla was flowing 18 centimetre above the danger mark at Kurigram, the Jamuna – 44 centimetre above THE DANGER MARK at Bhadurabad and the Ghagot – 26 centimetres at Gaibandha.

The United States has said there were credible reports that the Rapid Action Battalion, a paramilitary law enforcement group made up of policemen and army soldiers, is involved with some extrajudicial killings and disappearances.

‘Due to “Leahy vetting requirements”, we are barred from providing RAB with any form of training other than that related to human rights,’ said Robert Blake, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs in his testimony at Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of U.S. Congress in Washington on Thursday.

He said the U.S. Government embedded a retired U.S. marshal within RAB for four months last year to help stand up and operationalise an internal affairs unit that will provide a much-needed mechanism to hold accountable those who commit human rights violations.

In his testimony on human rights situation in Bangladesh, Blake said during secretary Hillary Clinton’s Dhaka visit in May she also raised many serious concerns about human rights issues with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, as well as with leading members of Bangladeshi civil society and at events with the press and the public at large.

He said the secretary’s public and private remarks underscore this administration’s consistent policy of raising human rights concerns with the Bangladesh government in order to safeguard Bangladesh’s role as a moderate democracy with a vibrant press and dynamic civil society.

Blake said secretary Clinton noted the US concern about the murder of labor rights activist Aminul Islam and the disappearance of opposition leader Ilyas Ali. ‘The rights of workers were also front-and-center on the Secretary’s visit to Bangladesh,’ he said.

On trade union rights, the US state department official said they have

urged the Bangladesh government to allow workers to freely form unions, and allow organisations that seek to protect worker’s rights to operate freely.

‘This is not only an ethical question, but also one that has the potential to have a huge impact on the Bangladeshi economy,’ Blake cautioned.

He said American and other foreign buyers are ‘increasingly unwilling’ to have their valuable brand names associated with abuse of garment workers’ rights and it is clearly in Bangladesh’s interests to make progress on this issue.

Saying that the civil society has been Bangladesh’s calling card for decades, Blake said maintaining the traditional vibrancy of Bangladeshi civil society is a priority for the State Department. ‘… We are concerned by reports from some local NGOs that space for civil society is shrinking. Nearly two years after the resignation of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Grameen Bank has been without a permanent managing director at its helm.’

Blake said while the Grameen Bank has continued its good work, the US has emphasized both to the government and the Grameen Board the importance of finding a qualified replacement for Dr. Yunus who is acceptable to all sides and who can preserve the integrity and effectiveness of the Bank.

About the government decision not to receive the Rohingyas fleeing the

recent Myanmar violence, he said, ‘We’ve also been disappointed by Bangladesh’s policy of turning away Rohingyas and other individuals fleeing ethnic and sectarian violence in Burma since early June.’

He said: ‘This stands in marked contrast to the country’s traditional policy of non-refoulement. The U.S. Government has and will continue to raise concern for the well-being of these individuals at the highest levels.’

The US official, however, praised the government as encouraging for passing a comprehensive anti-trafficking-inpersons legislation that, when fully enforced, could make a huge difference in protecting some of the country’s most vulnerable citizens.

Blake said while Bangladesh has made progress in protecting women and children victims of trafficking, this law is the first of its kind in Bangladesh that also guards against the exploitation of male laborers.

He described Bangladesh as a successful moderate, tolerant, secular, democratic alternative to violent extremism, and as a model for lifting millions of poverty, providing an important voice for regional stability, contributing more than any other country to UN peacekeeping.

‘Bangladesh is of strategic importance to the United States. But it still faces many challenges that the U.S. is working with and encouraging Bangladesh to address,’ said the US assistant secretary.

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF BHUTAN NEWS

Half of students exposed to drugs and domestic violence

A study on drug abuse and domestic violence in Bhutan says that 52.7 percent of high school students are exposed to drug abuse and domestic violence.

The study titled ‘Educational Attainment of High School Students: An Impact Study of Drug Abuse and Domestic Violence in Bhutan’ done by Wangchuk, the vice principal of Jigme Namgyel Lower Secondary School in Thimphu, interviewed 150 students in nine higher and middle secondary schools of Thimphu.

Out of 79 exposed students, 51 percent are boys and 28 percent girls. Over the year, the number of girls has increased in the rehabilitation centres.

The study says that girls are exposed to drugs mostly because of their abusing male friends and family members.

Some girls turned to alcohol or drugs as a way to cope with violence in their

lives.

Academic attainment among students, who are exposed to drug

violence with their children. Most were unaware of the laws pertaining to domestic violence.

out of 150 samples are exposed to drug abuse and domestic violence should be taken seriously.

abuse and domestic violence, has decreased between 5 and 20 percent in the last 4 years from 2008 to 2011.

Sixty-one percent of the families of selected students did not want to talk on the issues of drugs, alcohol and

The researcher said the study indicates that drug abuse and domestic violence are among the serious concerns in Bhutanese schools. Although the study does not include all Thimphu students, he said that the fact that 79

“The increasing rate of school dropouts and low academic achievement among students across all levels is a serious issue in Bhutan’s modern education system,” he said.

The study has found that there is a significant relationship between drug abuse, domestic violence and educational attainment.

The researcher said because cannabis and alcohol are freely available in Bhutan, people abuse them lavishly, resulting in quarrels, fights and myriad other problems at home. Some resort to drugs and alcohol to come to terms with violence at home.

The rise in domestic violence, the study says, is because alcohol is consumed as a social drink in Bhutan.

The study found that students abusing drugs and alcohol have

Bhutan’s road death rate high by international standards

Human errors are the major cause of accidents Fifteen people died in 2010 in accidents that occured among 10,000 registered vehicles. And in 2011, the road death rate was 17 per 10,000 registered vehicles. These figures are considered high by international standards.

Human error is a major cause of motor accidents in the country. In the past three years, 2,577 cases of motor accidents are due to human errors, according to the records with the traffic police.

The rates of motor vehicle crashes in Bhutan were 2.36 percent and 2.19 percent of the total registered vehicles

inhabitants.

The government has said that road safety is an important area of concern.

In his State of the Nation address to the last session of Parliament, Lyonchhen Jigme Y Thinley said that road safety is becoming a challenge, particularly in the urban areas, because of the evergrowing number of vehicles in the country.

“Road crashes have resulted in the loss of many innocent lives, trauma and distress to the bereaved families and substantial economic loss,” Lyonchhen said.

for 2010 and 2011 respectively.

In 2011, Bhutan saw 1,374 motor accidents, which caused 104 deaths and 623 injuries. Up to 52 percent of accidents involved light vehicles and 40 percent, heavy vehicle.

With more than 4,900 km of road network in Bhutan, the road density is about 7 km for every 1,000

Lyonchhen said that, with public transport services now available in most places with roads, priority has now shifted to improving comfort and safety.

He added that intervention will focus on public education, safety awareness, and enhancing enforcement of transport and road safety regulations.

According to an official from Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA), officials of RSTA and the traffic police are carrying out surprise inspections along the highways on various safety aspects such as conditions of vehicles, documents, driving licence, tyre condition, and adherence to the seating capacity regulation.

He said that the enforcement of regulations, particularly on drinkdriving, speeding, and inexperienced driving, is carried out rigorously along the highways and public roads with the help of radar traps and alcohol detectors to deter unsafe behaviour among motorists.

“Passenger transport buses are required to undertake pre-departure checks to ensure that the basic transmission and braking systems are in safe operating condition,” he said.

Despite the shortage of human resource, with hard work and dedication, traffic and RSTA officials have been able to bring down the rate of accident, the official said.

There has been a rapid growth in the number of vehicles in the country in recent years. The number of vehicles registered with RSTA as on December 31, 2011, was 62,707 comprising 4,856 taxis and 209 passenger transport buses. The figure excludes vehicles owned by the three armed forces.

shown the symptoms of withdrawal, grouping with their abusing friends, decreasing interest in studies, fear of stigmatization, less interest in school activities, involving in group fights and other misconducts resulting in suspension from school.

According to the study, educational attainment of students declined because they attended classes under the influence of drugs and with thoughts of domestic violence at home hampering their progress.

“However, drug abuse among schoolgoing children is a recent trend, which seeks attention from the school authorities and society at large,” Wangchuk said.

In 2008, 30 students were exposed to drug abuse and 21 to domestic violence. In 2009, the numbers went up. Thirty-five students were exposed to drug abuse while 23 were exposed to domestic violence.

In 2010, 21 students were exposed to domestic violence and 40 students to drug abuse. Last year, it was found that 44 students were exposed to drug abuse and 22 to domestic violence.

The study recommends government agencies, NGOs, police, health officials, social workers, the judiciary, drug counsellors, media personnel, community representatives and schools to come together to combat the menace of drug abuse and domestic violence and their effects on children.

Bridge damaged by flood

The flood damaged the two central abutments of the Bridge making it unsafe. The Bridge was built in 1987.

Traffic to and from the Pasakha Industrial Estate has been suspended after the Concentre Bridge at Balu Jora in Pasakha was damaged by a flash flood triggered by heavy rain.

The incident took place Saturday

night.

The flood damaged the two central abutments of the Bridge making it unsafe. The Bridge was built in 1987.

The Department of roads is trying to work out a bypass road.

Meanwhile, several road blocks reported along the KharbandiPasakha road have been cleared.

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Saarc international I Thursday 26 July 2012

WEEKLY REVIEW OF INDIA NEWS

India currently has 80 to 100 nuclear warheads: US experts

India is not converting all its weaponsgrade plutonium into war heads, two top American nuclear scientists have claimed, estimating that it currently has 80 to 100 nuclear warheads for its emerging Triad of air-, land-, and seabased nuclear-capable delivery vehicles.

India is estimated to have produced approximately 520 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium, sufficient for 100 to 130 atomic warheads; however, not all of the material has been converted into warheads, Director of the Nuclear Information Project Hans Kristensen and senior fellow for Nuclear Policy Robert S Norris wrote in the Bulletin of

the Atomic Scientists.

Based on available information, Kristensen and Norris estimate that India currently has 80 to 100 nuclear warheads for its emerging Triad of air-, land-, and sea-based nuclear-capable delivery vehicles.

“It will need more warheads to arm the new missiles it is currently developing,” they claimed.

“In addition to the Dhruva plutonium production reactor near Mumbai, India plans to construct a second reactor near Visakhapatnam, on the east coast. India is building an unsafeguarded prototype fast-breeder reactor at the Indira

US Senators urge Pentagon for closer defence ties with India

American Senators have asked Pentagon to develop a closer defence relationship with India, while emphasising that it is in the interest of both the US and India to continue building a strategic and military culture of cooperation between the two countries Top American Senators have asked Pentagon to develop a closer defence relationship with India, while emphasising that it is in the interest of both the US and India to continue building a strategic and military culture of cooperation between the two countries.

Ahead of the India visit of deputy secretary of defence Ashton B Carter, Senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner, asked the top Pentagon official in a letter that they believe it is time to consider the potential for a US partnership with India to co-develop or co-produce military weapon systems.

Cornyn and Warner are the co-chairs of the Senate India Caucus. With 38 Senators, the Senate India Caucus is the largest country-specific caucuses in the United States Senate.

“We see the partnership between our two democracies as critical to the maintenance and expansion of a rules-based international system that promotes freedom, democracy, security, prosperity, and the rule of law in the 21st century,” Cornyn and Warner wrote in the letter to Carter.

The letter, written on Friday, was also released to press. “Recent US

arms sales have benefitted the US and India alike, increasing commonality of military equipment platforms, providing expanded opportunities to conduct joint military exercises, and contributing to security in the IndoPacific region,” they wrote.

“With these interests in mind, and with the goal of further expanding US-India defence trade, we encourage you to actively engage with your Indian counterparts to develop ways to improve the compatibility of the defence acquisition systems of the United States and India,” the top US lawmakers wrote.

The two Senators urged Carter to include in his discussions with Indian officials two important focus areas -- ways to improve the compatibility of US and Indian defence acquisition systems and potential opportunities for co-development or co-production of defense equipment with India.

“As India undertakes its expansive military modernisation programme projected to cost an estimated USD 80 billion by 2015 - numerous prospects exist for the US to further expand defence trade and cooperation with India,” it said.

“As we know you agree, recent US arms sales have benefitted the US and India alike, increasing commonality of military equipment platforms, providing expanded opportunities to conduct joint military exercises, and contributing to security in the IndoPacific region,” the Senators wrote.

Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research near Kalpakkam, which will significantly increase India’s plutonium production capacity once it becomes operational,” they wrote.

They said India’s drive to develop a

nuclear triad proceeds apace, with New Delhi developing or deploying several weapon systems to realize its goal of achieving offensive nuclear forces on land, at sea, and in the air.

“India took a significant step forward

with the successful test-launch of the Agni V ballistic missile on April 19, 2012. With a range reportedly greater than 5,000 kilometers, the Agni V can reach any target in China; however, the missile needs more testing and is still several years away from operational deployment,” they said.

Nevertheless, the Agni V introduces a new dynamic to the already complex triangular security relationship among India, Pakistan, and China; a week after India’s April test-launch, Pakistan (somewhat predictably) responded by test-firing its nuclear capable Shaheen1A medium-range ballistic missile.

Congress should fight 2014 polls under Rahul’s leadership Indicating that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has had his innings at the helm, Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna today said Congress should fight 2014 general elections under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi.

“The Prime Minister is completing his two terms. Now, Rahul Gandhi should lead the party in the 2014 elections,” Bahuguna told reporters here.

Claiming that Rahul Gandhi alone enjoys countrywide acceptability and popularity, the Congress leader said he is the best person to be the future prime minister.

Exuding confidence that Congress would get another term in power after the 2014 elections, Bahuguna said the young leader will be the best trump-card of the party in the

polls.

When asked what responsibility Gandhi should take, the chief minister said he should also take responsibilities both of the government as well as in the party.

“I want to see him in the government

as well as in party,” said Bahuguna.

When asked whether he was suggesting that the Prime Minister should now make way for Rahul Gandhi, Bahuguna quipped, “old order changes yielding place to new.”

Saarc international I Thursday 26 July 2012

Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee’s big win in the presidential election which will make him the 13th occupant of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Marks the return of an active politician at Raisina Hill after three successive Presidents who were either past their prime in politics or did not have a political background at all.

Since July 1997, when K R Narayanan became President, the high office has been held by missile man A P J Abdul Kalam and Pratibha Patil whose careers had peaked, while Mukherjee was a hands-on politician playing a crucial role in UPA affairs.

Unlike his predecessors who were picked as safe choices by the ruling establishment of the day, Mukherjee sought the job and even bent his party to his will, aided by some ill-timed pressure tactics by Congress ally Mamata Banerjee that yielded unexpected results.

Interestingly, Mukherjee will move to Rashtrapati Bhavan from 13 Talkatora Road, a fact that

may intrigue the numerologically inclined. Those who know Mukherjee say his sense of the Constitution, politics and grasp of governance make him his own man who cannot be taken for granted as President. Mukherjee made the point, saying he would try and fulfill expectations to “defend, preserve and protect” the Constitution.

Mukherjee polled a vote value of 7.14 lakh or about 69.3% of the valid votes in the electoral college — aided by cross-voting from BJP legislators in Karnataka.

The Opposition nominee, former Speaker P A Sangma, secured a vote value of 3.16 lakh, handing Mukherjee a handsome margin.

After the result was finally out on Sunday evening, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, accompanied by son Rahul, called on Mukherjee to congratulate him. The presence of Rahul was noted, particularly in the context of his announcement that he was accepting a more active role in Congress affairs.

Soon after, PM Manmohan Singh

191 Afghan civilians killed or injured in Helmand

Local authorities in southern Helmand province expressed concerns regarding growing civilians casualties in this province.

The officials further added at least 191 Afghan civilians were killed or injured during the past two months following various incidents.

Provincial security chief Abdul Nabi Elham said at least 81 Afghan civilians were killed and around 110 others were injured following improvised explosive device blasts.

Mr. Elham further added Afghan police forces managed to discover and seized at least 350 roadside bombs during the past two months.

He also said Taliban militants also carried out a number of armed attacks in Mosa Qala district which were

resisted by Afghan security forces.

According to Nabi Elham at least 154 militants were killed and 40 others were detained by Afghan security forces during this period.

Local officials blame Taliban group for using improvised explosive device as the weapon of their choice to target Afghan and coalition security forces since they have lost power to face Afghan security forces.

However Taliban militants group deny civilians casualties in roadside bomb attacks and claim majority of the attacks are carried out against the foreign troops.

Taliban group also accused the Afghan government for providing wrong statistics regarding the death of the Afghan civilians.

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Pranab records huge win, gets almost 70% of votes

reached Mukherjee’s residence where celebrations were underway since the afternoon when his tally crossed the halfway mark.

Talkatora Road residence, located not far from Parliament House, were Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Cabinet Ministers.

PM, Sonia greet Pranab Mukherjee for registering Vice-President Hamid Ansari landslide victory in also called Mukherjee to presidential poll congratulate him.

A festive atmosphere prevailed outside the residence of Pranab Mukherjee with beating of drums,

Sonia Gandhi and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi came

distribution of sweets and bursting of crackers as a host of political leaders, associates and his relatives congratulated him on being declared elected as President.

Among the early callers at his

together ahead of PM’s visit to greet the 76-year-old veteran. They were soon joined by Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur.

Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, Union ministers AK Anthony,

P Chidambaram, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Subodh Kant Sahai, Farooq Abdullah, E Ahamed and visited Mukherjee’s residence to greet him for becoming the 13th President of India.

“We thank our all our allies for the victory of Pranab Mukherjee as the President of India. This is an emphatic victory,” Chidambaram said after meeting Mukherjee.

DMK leaders TR Baalu and Murasoli Maran had also come to greet Mukherjee.

Congress leaders from West Bengal including Manas Bhuiyan, a minister from the state, also felicitated Mukherjee.

“This is a very happy moment for us as he has become the President.

Whole of Bengal is celebrating alongwith the entire nation,” Bhuniya said.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot also congratualted Mukherjee.

Scores of Congress leaders including UP Congress leaders Rita Bahuguna and party MPs Jagdambika Pal, Bhakta Charan Das, Mohisina Kidwai among others called on Mukherjee.

India SC slashes discretionary quota for Haj pilgrims to 300

The Supreme Court today reduced the government’s discretionary quota seats for Haj pilgrims to 300 from the 5,050 seats, proposed by it.

A Bench of Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai limited the number of seats to be allocated under the discretionary quota by the President to 100, Vice President to 75, Prime Minister to 75 and the External Affairs Minister to 50.

The Bench said 200 seats would be reserved for the Haj Committee of

India (HCI).

The court was informed that 11,000 seats have been reserved under government quota to be allocated for Haj 2012.

After limiting the seats under dignitaries quota and the HCI, the bench said remaining seats would go to the Haj committees of various states and Union territories.

It also said no high court will entertain any writ petition for registration of pilgrims for the Haj 2012.

The Bench said if any such petition

by any pilgrim or private tour operator is filed in any high court, it will have to be transferred to the apex court.

The Bench passed the order after going through an affidavit filed by the government in compliance with the court’s May 8 direction.

The court on May 8 had asked the government to furnish details on how its discretionary quota seats for Haj pilgrims are allocated to applicants on recommendation by dignitaries and eminent persons.

It had passed the order saying “we have some initial reservations on allocation of seats on recommendation by dignitaries and eminent persons”.

The apex court had also directed the government to phase out Haj subsidy within a period of 10 years, saying the sum can be more profitably used for social and educational development of the Muslim community.

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Saarc international I Thursday 26 July 2012

A False Flag Attack at the 2012 Olympics?

Rockefeller Foundation Predicts 13,000 Dead at London 2012 Olympics There have been many whisperings of a possible false flag attack at the 2012 Summer Olympics which will be held in London from July 17August 12.

Although you may be quick to discount such “conspiracy theories”, you would be prudent to review the signs pointing to such an event before passing judgment.

One of the most disturbing is found in a 2010 publication by The Rockefeller Foundation, entitled “Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development.” On page 34, there is reference to a bombing at the 2012 Olympics which killed 13,000, followed by mentions of several serious “natural disasters.”

A 2010 Rockefeller Foundation document entitled “Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development” outlines a scenario which results in the death of 13,000 during the 2012 Olympics.

The first worrying prediction begins in 2012 when ‘the pandemic the world had been anticipating for years’, finally hits, infecting nearly 20 percent of world population and claiming 8 million lives. Due to this pandemic, the Rockefeller Foundation outlines how the public will welcome a more authoritative government and a tighter control across all aspects of life, including Biometric IDs for all citizens.

The 2012 London Olympics Bombing In the document, the Rockefeller Foundation ‘predicts’ that the decade of 2010-2020 will be named “The Doom Decade”, because of a wave of terrorist attacks, natural disasters as well as civil uprisings and financial collapses.

The years 2010 to 2020 were dubbed the “doom decade” for good reason: the 2012 Olympic bombing, which killed 13,000, was followed closely by an earthquake in Indonesia killing 40,000, a tsunami that almost wiped out Nicaragua, and the onset of the West China Famine, caused by a once-in-a-millennium drought linked to climate change.

Mirroring events in real life, the document also predicts that by 2015 a large share of the US’ armed forces are recalled from countries such as Afghanistan to be stationed domestically, apparently posse comitatus no longer being a concern.

In 2015, the U.S. reallocated a large share of its defense spending to

Warning Signs of a Nuclear Attack at the 2012 Olympics

domestic concerns, pulling out of Afghanistan—where the resurgent Taliban seized power once again.

vaccines is covered in the Rockefeller document, where they state that due to corruption within national

In the context of weak health systems, corruption, and inattention to standards—either within countries

As is happening right now, the document outlines how nations will lose power over their own finances due to massive debt, apparently

and global bodies such as WHO, “bogus” vaccines will result in mass deaths. According to the paper, the resulting mistrust in vaccines

or from global bodies like the World Health Organization—tainted vaccines entered the public

comparison to the scandal sparked by mass deaths from a tainted anti-malarial drug years later.

The deaths and resulting scandals sharply affected public confidence in vaccine delivery; parents not just in Africa but elsewhere began to avoid vaccinating their children, and it wasn’t long before infant and child mortality rates rose to levels not seen since the 1970s.

Technology becomes an increasing theater of battle in the Doom Decade, with cyber terrorism and hacking mafia organizations becoming more and more widespread. A worrying prediction outlined in the document covers “Bio-Hacking” where GMO and DoItYourself-Biotech push the Globalist’s love for Transhumanism forward.

Interestingly, not all of the “hacking” was bad. Genetically modified crops (GMOs) and doit- yourself (DIY) biotech became backyard and garage activities, producing important advances. In 2017, a network of renegade African scientists who had returned to their home countries after working in Western multinationals unveiled the first of a range of new GMOs that boosted agricultural productivity on the continent.

Just as desired by Globalists for over a hundred years, the developed world begins to fall back into feudalism, with the gap between the rich and poor growing to levels not seen for hundreds of years as the middle class becomes extinct.

The rich moving into fortress like compounds, whereas the poor are forced to move into ghettos.

handing over financial sovereignty to the banking technocrats.

But the document doesn’t just cover these topics. The growing mistrust in

results in a large number of parents who avoid vaccination, which causes infant and child morality to rise to levels not seen since the 1970s.

health systems of several African countries. In 2021, 600 children in Cote d’Ivoire died from a bogus Hepatitis B vaccine, which paled in

By 2030, the document portrays the “developed” and “developing” nations to no longer be relevant or distinguishable.

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NEWS

More than 18,000 troops to provide Olympics security More than 18,000 troops will provide security for the Olympics after ministers felt they should “leave nothing to chance”.

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the 1,200 servicemen and women put on 48 hours notice last week will be deployed in the wake of the Olympics security shambles.

With the opening ceremony three days away and the football starting tomorrow, organisers Locog said the move would bring in enough troops to deliver the Games “in just about any scenario”.

The extra military involvement comes on top of the additional 3,500 troops drafted in a fortnight ago as the “humiliating shambles” created by private firm G4S’s failure to supply enough guards emerged.

A further contingency force of

1,000 troops is ready to step in if there is any increase in the security threat level.

Ministers took the decision this morning at a Cabinet committee for the Olympics chaired by Prime

Minister David Cameron.

Mr Hunt added the next 48 hours would be “critical” in terms of transport and security.

“We are very confident that we will do a job but there is absolutely

Lakshmi Mittal and son will carry Olympic Torch

Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, who is the main sponsor of the giant ArcelorMittal Orbit near the Olympics Stadium, will be among the individuals who will carry the Olympics Torch a day before the Games begin. The Torch will be carried by various individuals from Camden to Westminster on Thursday. Mittal’s son, Aditya, 36, will also carry the Torch during the day.

The Mittal Champions Trust has been supporting Indian athletes.

Mittal, 62, said: “When I think about parallels between myself and an Olympian, I believe that success in the world of business is underpinned by very similar principles of perseverance and hard work.

“The torch relay is an excellent embodiment of all that the Olympic

Games have come to symbolise - a celebration of the human spirit”.

He added: “Personally to me, it

“I hope that by carrying the torch I will be representing many other people who share these ideals with me”. Created by Turner Prizewinning artist Anish Kapoor, the ArcelorMittal Orbit is the tallest structure in Britain.

The company, which is one of the sponsors of the Olympics, has contributed 20 million pounds towards the structure.

Located in Olympic Park in Stratford, east London, the ArcelorMittal Orbit has two observation floors, a 455-step spiral staircase, lift and restaurant. Visitors go up in the lift and walk down the staircase and take in the views and artistic tricks designed by Kapoor.

represents striving to be the best in whatever we do, never giving up despite the odds and a commitment to health and fitness.

It is made from 60 per cent scrap metal. The Mittal Champions Trust has organised a reception for Indian athletes on Tuesday.

no room for complacency and the next couple of days are critical,” he said.

Amid concerns over a lack of training for staff in how to use the airport-style X-ray machines and

other security measures, roving teams will be brought in to check guards’ work and make sure it is up to scratch, Locog said.

Mr Hunt said: “On the eve of the largest peacetime event ever staged in this country, ministers are clear that we should leave nothing to chance.

“G4S numbers continue to rise significantly and we have every expectation that will continue to be the case.

Fauja Singh, 101, dazzles in Olympic Torch relay Punjab-born Fauja Singh, who defies age to run marathons, drew the loudest cheers on Saturday as the Olympic Torch was carried by him, Olympic medal winners and leading individuals through London amidst a welcome clear sky and sunshine.

Clad in all-white apparel and a matching white turban, the sprightly Singh carried the torch accompanied by hundreds of admirers, including Sikhs with yellow T-shirts bearing Singh’s image, who hailed him every moment of the distance he travelled.

Singh was born in 1911, and began running at 86 to keep himself occupied.

He has since set several records for people of his age, running six London marathons, two Canada marathons and the New York marathon.

Clearly a bit of a sensation for his achievements, his participation in the relay today was described by admirers and onlookers as “a moment of history”.

Singh, who carried the Olympics Torch in Athens eight years ago, now wants to carry it before the 2016 Olympics too, when he will be 105.

Hundreds of Sikhs organised a ‘langar’ at 16 points along the torch relay route to celebrate Fauja Singh’s efforts. The torch from Greenwich to Waltham Forest was carried by several Olympians, including Nadia Comaneci, and Indianorigin individuals who have excelled in various fields, such as Kaushali Trivedi (23), Natasha Sinha (15), Priya Rajgor (20) and Dhrashti Shah (16).

The relay’s youngest and oldest (Fauja Singh) were among the 143 torch-

bearers today. The youngest was Chester Chambers, 12, who was nominated for representing his classmates, fundraising and helping to develop an anti-bullying campaign.

Today was the first day of the Olympics torch’s seven-day tour of London in the final countdown to the Games.

Hopes that the constant rains of the last few weeks will give way to sunshine during the Olympics were realised, as today’s relay was held amidst a clear sky.

United Sikhs, the charity organisation that organised the ‘langar’, distributed thousands of ‘roti rolls’ along the torch relay route. The ‘langar’ was held to “celebrate the wonderful achievements of this under-spoken treasure of the Sikh community”, organisers said.

Parvinder Kaur, manager of the ‘langar’ project, said: “We are proud to share with the public the 500-year-old Sikh tradition of serving free meals to celebrate the carrying of the Olympic Torch by Bhai Fauja Singh.”

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US raises arms sales pitch to India to ‘contain’ China

After describing India as “a linchpin” in its new strategic policy to “rebalance” military forces towards Asia-Pacific, in what is seen by many to be an unfolding grand design to “contain” China, the US is now cranking up its arms sales pitch to India.

From ballistic missile defence (BMD) and aeronautics to robotics and micro-UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), the US is eager to collaborate with India in topend defence technology in a bid to displace countries like Russia, Israel and France as the pre-eminent defence supplier to India.

India plans to spend upwards of $100 billion in acquiring weapon systems and platforms over the next decade. Having already bagged defence deals worth over $8 billion over the last few years, the US is obviously hungry for more.

“As a country committed to enduring peace and security in the AsiaPacific region, India deserves the

best military equipment available...

India is a top priority in our export considerations,” said visiting US deputy secretary of defence Ashton B Carter on Monday.

“Practically, we want to be India’s highest-quality and most trusted

long-term supplier of technology...

We trust India and know India is not a re-exporter or exploiter of our technologies,” he added, speaking at a CII function.

Carter, who held talks with defence minister A K Antony, national

security advisor Shiv Shankar Menon, defence secretary Shashikant Sharma and foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai during the day, said New Delhi had emerged Washington’s second largest FMS (foreign military sales) customer in 2011 with imports worth $4.5 billion.

India has certainly shed its long-held suspicions about the US not being a reliable long-term defence supplier to India, in part due to continuing problems with Russian propensity to jack-up costs mid-way through projects and not provide proper transfer of technology and product support.

But it still remains wary about whether the US will really provide cutting-edge defence technology.

Carter stressed US and India will move beyond mere defence trade, or a buyer-seller relationship, to joint R&D and co-production in the years ahead. He identified BMD as a potential area for this defence cooperation but said the two

nations should first discuss it at the “strategic” level before engaging in technical discussions.

“We want to knock down any remaining bureaucratic barriers in our defence relationship, and strip away the impediments...Buying American systems, whether through direct commercial sales or FMS, will get India exceptionally highquality technology, a high degree of transparency, and no corruption (this is mandated by our legal system),” he said.

The Indian defence ministry, too, seems to favour the direct government-to-government agreement under the American FMS system. India, for instance, is now close to inking $647 million contract for the acquisition of 145 M-777 ultra-light howitzers from the US in a FMS deal. This comes after the finalization of another such deal worth $4.1 billion for 10 C-17 Globemaster-III strategic airlift aircraft.

Assam riots: Hundreds of Krishna, Khar talks villages burned, toll rises to 26 in September Indian troops under orders to shoot on sight suspected rioters

External Affairs Minister S M Krishna will undertake a three-day visit to Pakistan from September 7 to review the second round of the bilateral dialogue process with his counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar.

Indian High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal met Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani yesterday and informed him about the dates for Mr Krishna’s visit, diplomatic sources told PTI. The dates for the visit were earlier suggested by the Foreign Office.

The Indian envoy and Mr Jilani also discussed bilateral issues, including preparations for Mr Krishna’s visit.

Mr Krishna will review the dialogue process, which resumed last year after a gap of over two years in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, during a meeting with Ms Khar on September

8, the sources said.

Following the review, Mr Krishna and Ms Khar are expected to prepare the framework for the third round of the resumed dialogue.

During his stay in Islamabad, Mr Krishna is expected to call on President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and some key political leaders, including PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and PML-Q leader Chaudhary Shujaat Hussain.

Following the resumption of the dialogue process, India and Pakistan have made significant progress in normalising trade relations.

Islamabad recently switched to a negative list regime for trade with Delhi, paving the way for giving India Most Favoured Nation-status by the beginning of next year.

Violence over land rights in Assam state leaves 21 people dead, homes burned to ground and forced tens of thousands to flee Police shot dead four rioters in Assam on Tuesday as security forces struggled to contain ethnic fighting that has killed 26 people and left remote hamlets in flames, forcing tens of thousands from their homes.

Rioting between Bodo tribespeople and Muslim settlers has raged for days.

Some of the victims died of machete wounds, aid workers who has seen the bodies said.

Police opened fire on a mob that was burning property in the Bododominated Kokrajhar district, killing the four, police inspector general S.N. Singh told Reuters.

Earlier, hundreds of men armed with spears, clubs and rocks attacked an express train passing through Kokrajhar, injuring several passengers.

In another incident, several people suffered bullet wounds and others were injured in a stampede when police fired to disperse a gang of 400, a senior police official said.

Soldiers and federal paramilitary troops patrolled Kokrajhar town and outlying areas on armoured vehicles mounted with machine guns. The government said more security reinforcements were travelling to the region.

In defiance of an overnight curfew, rival mobs spread to rural areas and neighbouring districts overnight, targeting hamlets along river banks and

in the jungle. Some 500 villages have been destroyed by arson.

“The security forces were silent spectators when village after village was burnt down,” veteran local politician Urkhao Gwra Brahma told Reuters.

Ringed by China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan, India’s northeast is home to more than 200 ethnic and tribal groups and has been racked by separatist revolts since India’s independence from Britain in 1947.

In recent years Hindu and Christian tribes have vented strong antiimmigrant and anti-Muslim sentiment against Bangladeshi settlers. The Bodo tribe has clashed with Bengalis in deadly riots several times since the 1950s.

The latest violence was sparked on Friday night when unidentified men killed four youths in Kokrajhar district, police and district officials said. In retaliation, armed Bodos attacked Muslims, suspecting them of being behind the killings.

Hagrama Mohilary, the leader of the tribal council governing the region, warned that former separatist rebels had joined the violence to protect Bodo

villages. He called for the rebels, who are officially observing a ceasefire, to lay down their arms.

Bodo tribes shot at Muslim villages close to the border with Bhutan on Monday night, a senior police officer who asked not to be named told Reuters. He said no casualties had been reported.

Assam’s chief minister, Tarun Gogoi, told TV network CNN-IBN that he hoped the situation would be under control within two days. He said some 30,000 villagers have fled their homes and taken shelter in relief camps, but local officials said the numbers were at least twice that.

The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised Gogoi for not stopping the rioting and Prime Minister Manomhan Singh called the chief minister asking him to do everything possible to stop the violence. The Hindu nationalist BJP has in the past been accused of fanning religious conflicts.

Tribal leader Mohilary said relief camps were overcrowded and suffering a shortage of food and medicine because roadblocks across the region had stopped supply trucks.

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Three injured in blast near Chinese consulate in Karachi

A remote-controlled bomb was detonated close to the Chinese consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi today, leaving at least three people, including a paramilitary personnel, injured.

The blast, which took place around noon, caused panic in the area which is surrounded by residences.

“Initial investigations show that the bomb was planted on a motorcycle

parked in the Institute of Hotel Management and it was detonated by a remote control,” InspectorGeneral of Police, Fayyaz Leghari, told reporters.

The hotel management institute is located in the same lane and next to the Chinese Consulate in Defence area.

Leghari said three persons were injured in the blast, including a

Rangers official who was on duty close by.

One car and up to three motorcycles parked nearby were reported to have been destroyed as a result of the blast.

Various police teams, including the Crime Investigation Department and the Special Investigation Unit, reached the spot to probe the incident which has caused concern

in the government circles.

“We have also set a reward of one million rupees for any person who can provide us valid information which can lead to the arrest of the people behind this blast,” Leghari said.

A large number of Chinese nationals who are either settled here with their businesses or who have come to Pakistan as part of different projects

are based in Karachi.

Recently, extortionists had also targeted the office of a construction company in the nearby Khayaban-eShamsheer area in which one person was injured.

The advisor to the home department, Sharfuddin Memon, said information had been received that terrorist activities would take place in the ongoing month of Ramazan.

Bomb near consulate: Rangers were target of blast, say police Lashkar-e-Balochistan claims responsibility of Karachi blast Speaking to BBC Urdu, a spokesperson for a group calling itself the Lashkar-eBalochistan claimed responsibility. The attack was carried out because, “China and other foreign powers are making agreements with Pakistan that are not acceptable to the

Baloch people.” The group added that “China and other foreign companies should stop fleecing Balochistan’s resources and should immediately exit the province otherwise personnel and infrastructure would continue to be targeted in the province.”

Senator Rehman Malik and police chief Fayyaz Leghari stated that the attack was not one on the consulate. Regardless of who was the actual target in the attack, Chinese diplomats won’t take any comfort in knowing that a bomber could get within

ten feet of their consulate with an explosive device. The Chinese have been attacked four times since 2004, albeit in Balochistan, for their work in that province.

The police believe the Rangers were the target.

Pakistan negotiates with militants over Shahbaz Taseer

Pakistan’s intelligence agency has been negotiating with militants who are holding the kidnapped son of an assassinated politician since last August. It is believe that that kidnappers of Shahbaz Taseer are demanding a large ransom and the release of some of their colleagues.

A senior Pakistani official says the country’s intelligence agency has been

negotiating with militants over the release of the kidnapped son of an assassinated liberal politician.

It is the first official confirmation that the government is in talks with the men holding Shahbaz Taseer, whose father was killed by his bodyguard last year for criticizing laws that call for the death penalty for insulting Islam.

Taseer was abducted last August in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said during a Geo News TV program broadcast Monday that Taseer’s kidnappers are demanding a large ransom and the release of some of their colleagues.

Sanaullah said the Inter-Services Intelligence agency previously secured the release of the son-in-law of a former Pakistani army general in similar negotiations.

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF PAKISTAN NEWS

NRO case: SC declares govt’s reply inadmissible

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declared inadmissible the government’s reply in the NRO implementation case, DawnNews reported.

The reply, submitted by Attorney General Irfan Qadir, was subsequently returned with objections.

Earlier today, submitting its reply in the Supreme Court, the federal government had stated that the prime minister can not write the letter to authorities in Switzerland to reopen cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

The reply had stated that under the Constitution, the advice of the federal cabinet was binding on the prime minister and that the cabinet had not given any such recommendation to the premier. The cabinet at present has not made a decision on the issue, the reply stated.

The reply moreover requested the court to review its ruling of July 12.

The government moreover stated that the seven-judge bench did not have the authority to summon the prime minister.

It further said that the so-called

Letter to Swiss authorities

second option pertaining to initiating proceedings against the premier could no longer be applied.

July 12 proceedings

On July 12, a five-judge bench of the apex court stated in its order: “Adjourned to July 25 on which date the Prime Minister of Pakistan/Chief Executive of the Federation shall cause a report to be submitted before this court regarding compliance of the directions contained in paragraph No. 177 and 178 (writing the letter to Swiss authorities) of the judgment passed by this court in case of Dr Mobashir

Hassan (NRO case) failing which this court may initiate any appropriate action under the Constitution.”

Also during the hearing, the attorney general had said that “the cabinet had taken up the matter and it desired that the law ministry should furnish its views as regards the matter of implementation of the NRO judgment.”

The AG had further stated that as and when the law ministry rendered its opinion, the cabinet would take a decision in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.

Gunmen kill eight soldiers in Gwadar At least eight security personnel were killed and three others were injured on Saturday in an attack on the Pakistan Coast Guards camp in Pishukan coastal settlement, some 40 kilometres from the port city of Gwadar.

Talking to Daily Times, Gwadar Assistant Commissioner Rehmat Dashti said, “Unidentified armed men in three pick-up trucks fired at officials when the officials signalled them to stop for routine search at Pishukan checkpost.” He also said as many as eight security officials were killed and a passerby sustained injuries.

The port town of Gwadar has seen a construction boom over the past decade as part of Pakistan’s plans to develop it, with Chinese help, into a trading hub. According to sources, one of the three trucks was stopped at the checkpost. “The men on the other two trucks opened fire on the checkpost,” they added. The assailants fled from the scene.

Sources said two havaldars and a wireless operator were also among those killed. The deceased were identified as Ghani Asif, Sher Ali, Riaz Ahmed, Akmal, Adnan, Shahbaz and Abdul Sattar. The bodies and the injured were taken to the Liaquat Battalion Headquarters in Gwadar.

Later, the injured were moved to

Karachi. Strong contingents of law enforcers rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area. However, no arrests were made.

The Baloch Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the attack.

“Armed men surrounded Pashookan post of Pakistan coast guards near the town of Gwadar and gunned down seven soldiers,” local administration chief Sohailur Rehman said, adding that three other soldiers were wounded.

The assailants, believed to be about a dozen, fled on motorbikes after the shooting, another official Rehmat Dashti told AFP. Balochistan suffers from militancy, sectarian violence and a separatist insurgency which also targets government officials and security agencies.

Last week, the chief justice of Pakistan accused paramilitary forces

of involvement in a third of all disappearances in the province.

According to the public relations officer of the coast guards, the impersonators, who were more than eight in number, fired rockets and resorted to firing at the checkpost in the Pishukan area. All the eight personnel of Coast Guards present inside the checkpost, sustained bullet injuries and died on the spot.

The assailants managed to escape the scene.

“The armed men, who came in many vehicles, were wearing the FC uniform - a bid to defame the Frontier Corps,” the official added.

Pishukan is a sub-tehsil of Tehsil Jiwani and some 40 kilometres from Gwadar, the winter capital of Balochistan. Pishukan is 70 kilometres from Pak-Iran boarder.

Around 95 percent residents of Pishukan are fishermen.

Earlier on June 27, the bench had given the new prime minister two weeks to indicate whether he would ask Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against President Zardari.

The court on June 19 dismissed Yousuf Raza Gilani as prime minister after convicting him of contempt in April for refusing to reopen the multi-million-dollar cases against the president.

Raja Pervez Ashraf was later elected as the new prime minister.

The allegations against President

Zardari date back to the 1990s, when he and his late wife, former premier Benazir Bhutto were suspected of using Swiss bank accounts to launder $12 million allegedly paid in bribes by companies seeking customs inspection contracts.

The Swiss shelved the case in 2008 when Zardari became president and the government had been insisting that the president has full immunity.

But in 2009 the Supreme Court overturned the NRO, a political amnesty that had frozen investigations into the president and other politicians, ordering that the cases be reopened.

Pakistan’s election commissioner takes oath

Pakistan’s first independent election commissioner was sworn into office Monday ahead of general elections widely expected within months.

Fakhurddin Ebrahim, a former judge and ex-governor of southern province Sindh took oath before Supreme Court chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the court said.

Ebrahim’s appointment to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has been welcomed by the ruling coalition and political opposition parties.

“It has been my dream to present a prosperous and democratic Pakistan to our new generation,” the new commissioner said.

“We have only one point agenda and that is public justice through free, fair, transparent and impartial elections so that no one should ever be able to raise finger on its impartiality and all employees of the ECP should work to achieve that goal.”

Pakistan’s president previously had the power to appoint the election

commissioner, but a constitutional amendment in 2010 demanded an independent election commission and commissioner.

Ebrahim was selected by a parliamentary committee.

General elections are due to be held

by February 2013, when the current parliament would become the first in Pakistan to complete an elected, full five-year mandate.

Some observers suggest they could be brought forward to later this year with the government under extreme pressure from the Supreme Court to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

Pak, US to form authority for securing and monitoring NATO supplies

In another effort aimed at improving bilateral ties, Pakistan and US have agreed on the formation of a Central Coordination Authority (CCA) for monitoring and securing the resumption of NATO supplies and their routes, Express News reported on Friday.

The two allies reached a consensus on the issue in Islamabad and it was decided that the defence secretary will be the chairman of the CCA. A “negative list” of banned Nato supply items will also be compiled with a combined effort of both the countries.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Interior Ministry, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), National Logistics Cell (NLC) and other concerned institutions will be part of the CCA. According to documents obtained by Express News, these decisions were taken in a high-level meeting that took place a few days ago.

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF MALDIVE NEWS

Nazim files complaint against Raajje TV with police, broadcasting commission over leaked texts

Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim has said that a request has been made to the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) to look in to the case of his leaked SMS’ sent to him on February 7.

Nazim told Haveeru last night that he does not know if the leaked SMS’ are genuine or not and that he would only be able to say

anything after the investigation.

He said that he does not know how the messages were leaked.

Even though Nazim did not confirm the authenticity of the messages, Haveeru was able to confirm the authenticity of some of these messages from its senders.

Nazim earlier requested Maldives Police Service (MPS) to investigate

Civil Court dismisses ruling of own watchdog body against Chief Judge Abdulla Mohamed

the case of the leaked messages and submitted a case to the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) to investigate the telecast of these messages on RaajjeTV. Most of these messages contained greetings sent by different people congratulating Nazim upon the transfer of power on February 7.

These messages include, SMS’ from the Parliament Speaker Abdulla Shahid, high ranking former and current army officials, politicians and famed businessmen.

In relation to the case, Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz on Tuesday said that the messages were not leaked from within Maldives Police Service (MPS). He said that it was confirmed through an internal audit done after the news of the leaked SMS’ spread.

Police ‘cut off’ support and protection to Raajje TV over broadcasting of “false” CCTV The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has announced that it has stopped cooperating with local TV station Raajje TV, claiming that the opposition-aligned TV station was broadcasting false and slanderous content about the police which had undermined their credibility and public confidence.

In a press statement released today, MPS stated that the decision was reached after the station had “deliberately and continuously broadcast false and baseless content with the intention to incite hatred” towards the institution.

“Also, Raajje TV’s broadcasting of false and baseless content about the police institution is seen to be carried out for the political benefit of certain parties and such actions neither fit in with the norms of professional journalism or the principles followed by media outlets of other democratic countries,” read the statement.

Speaking to Minivan News, a reporter from Raajje TV said that prior to the decision police had already indicated yesterday that they were not willing to cooperate with the Raajje TV reporters.

The reporter said that the station had tried to cover the arrival of the body of murdered police officer lance corporal Adam Haleem to Male, however had pushed the reporters back and told them “it was not a wise thing to come there.”

“A police official came over to us and said that it was not a wise thing to come there. The person said that the police officers were in a very ‘hyper’ mood and that anything could happen at such time,” said the reporter.

“They told us that if something ‘bad’ happened there, the police would not be able to protect us.

Then another officer came and said to the officer who spoke to us, to check if we had press cards and to move those who did not have press cards out of the area,” he added.

“Must respect peoples’ constitutional rights” The Civil Court today dismissed a decision by its own watchdog body, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), to take action against Chief Judge of the Criminal Court Abdullah Mohamed for violating the Judge’s Code of Conduct.

An investigation into a complaint of ethical misconduct against Judge Abdulla was completed by a JSC special committee which recommended in the final report to the commission that action be taken against the Judge for violating the Judge’s Code of Conduct – specifically, by making a politically biased statement in an interview with DhiTV. However, during the period given to Judge Abdulla to respond to the report, he instead obtained a Civil Court injunction against his further investigation by the judicial watchdog.

The JSC appealed the injunction on January 24 of this year, claiming that

the Civil Court had disregarded the commission’s constitutional mandate which allowed it to take action against judges, and argued that the court did not have the jurisdiction to overrule a decision of its own watchdog body.

But the appeal was rejected, concluding that the commission had not provided the court “any substantial reason to terminate the injunction and that the High court cannot make a decision on the case while the case is pending at a lower court.

As the final verdict on the case came out today, the Civil Court overruled the the decision stating that Judge Abdulla was not given an opportunity to respond to the allegations during the investigation.

According to the decision, providing a chance to submit any complaints after the investigation is completed cannot be deemed as an opportunity for the Judge to present his defence.

President M. Waheed Hassan Manik last night called on to respect the constitutional rights of the people. “I urge the people of Maldives to respect each others constitutional rights.” President said.

During a ceremony held to determine to determine and declare the time-honoured sighting of the moon, which marks the beginning of Ramadan, President stressed that the constitution afforded every citizen the right to life, freedom and self preservation.

“I urge the people of Maldives to respect each others constitutional rights. Such actions is of utmost importance to establishing peace and stablity in the nation,” President said.

He also noted that the every country had laws and regulations in place to ease the lives of the people.

“So if we break the laws, confront the authorities, and do as we please, what example are we setting for the generation to come? This is something we all need to seriously consider,” Waheed added.

President also stressed that government was constinously engaged in efforts to prevent the rise of prices of staple foods to

alarming levels. To that end, he added that the Economic Ministry was constantly assessing the prices of basic food items.

He added that Ministry was in dialogue with MIFCO, Kooddoo and Felivaru fisheries companies to provide fish products at affordable prices during the month of Ramadan.

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Saarc international I Thursday 26 July 2012

WEEKLY REVIEW OF NEPAL NEWS

Nepal’s ethnic leaders contemplate new party

Prithvi Subba Gurung was the head of the indigenous peoples (Janjati) caucus in Nepal’s recently expired Constituent Assembly (CA). A cross-party grouping of MPs, the caucus became the fifth political force — along with Maoists, Nepali Congress (NC), Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist Leninist); and the United Democratic Madhesi Front (UDMF) — in the final days of the CA. Its main demand was identitybased federalism, with boundaries carved out in a way which gave ethnic groups a demographic advantage in hill provinces, and was named taking into account their claims over historic homelands.

An alliance between the caucus, Madhesi parties and Maoists led to a signed declaration by over twothirds of the CA members in support of federal models approved by a constitutional sub-committee and State Restructuring Commission

(SRC). The declaration, however, did not translate into a political reality since the CA ended without the issue being put to vote.

But Mr. Gurung’s party, UML, was not happy with his advocacy of the ethnic and federal agenda and

Deukhuri flood victims left in the lurch

Family members of over 2,000 flood victims of Deukhuri who were forced to abandon their houses due to floods on Wednesday, are living a pathetic life for want of timely government relief.

After floodwaters from the local Rapti, Dolai Khola, Karamdi Khola and Singai Khola rivers gushed into their villages, about 2,100 families have been displaced, most of whom are now staying at the local Suryabinayak Secondary School or at their kin’s places.

The Dang-based Red Cross Society branch and Lamahi- and Lalmatiyabased sub-branches have managed the temporary provision of settlement at the school for the flood victims.

“We have lost our food, clothes and almost everything to the floods, but we haven’t got any relief from the government so far,” lamented Dilliraj Chaudhary of Sonpur VDC-3, Dodain.

Many victims have the same complaint against the government’s apathy.

“We have been rendered homeless in a single day. It would be a great relief if

we get some government aid in time,” Ramdin Chaudhary said.

“We the family of 13 have become homeless after floods inundated our house,” said another flood victim Shanti Chaudhary, wondering when the government is going to provide them with relief.

Meanwhile, two days after the flood havoc, different organisations today provided relief to about 600 families of the severely affected flood victims from Sisahaniya, Sonapur and Lalamatiya.

Food items worth about Rs 2.50 lakh were provided to the victims by the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry chapters of Deukhuri and Tulsipur among other local organisations.

Floods in the locals rivers triggered by incessant rainfall on Wednesday had inundated Sisahaniya, Kalapani, Kahaluwa, Laththhawa, Pipari, Sonapur, Paharawa villages, causing over 2,000 families to displace from their houses.

warned him to pull back. Along with other party leaders — UML vice chairman Ashok Rai; central committee member Bijay Subba; Kathmandu in-charge Rajendra Shrestha; and Madhesi leader Ram Chandra Jha — Mr. Gurung

had opposed what they called UML’s indifference and opposition to issues concerning marginalised communities like Janjatis, Madhesis, Muslims, and Dalits.

Last week, the party leadership divested these pro-active ethnic leaders of any responsibility on grounds of indiscipline.

Mr. Gurung is now going through a fundamental political dilemma.

“I have been in UML for 40 years.

Should I continue to struggle within the party and force it to accept issues concerned with the oppressed peoples? Or should I quit since even after 40 years, the party has not internalized these issues?” Terming what is happening in UML is a reflection of the contradictions in Nepali society, he told The Hindu, “We will continue to wage inner-party struggle.

If the party refuses to consider our concerns on federalism and

proportional representation, we will have to think of an alternative.”

Experienced politicians like Mr. Gurung caution that setting up a party cannot be based on a ‘whim’, and needs careful homework especially in a ‘multi-ethnic society like Nepal’.

But Mahendra Lawoti, a scholar whose work deals with exclusion in Nepal, feels this is the right moment to set up a new party. “I think the cadres are ready. Sociocultural ethnic organisations say they need a political front. In my interactions with NC ethnic workers, especially the younger generation, two-thirds say they are just waiting for an alternative.

Even in Dubai, I met an ethnic migrant worker who paid party levy to UML for 17 years, and said he has stopped doing it after the CA ended. The ground is ready; the big question seems to be who will take the initiative and lead it.”

UN denounces Nepal school attacks claimed by Maoists The UN in Nepal has condemned an increasing number of attacks on schools by youth activists which it says has put the lives of children in danger.

A Maoist-linked students’ union has said that it carried out the attacks as part of its campaign to reform Nepal’s “unequal education system”.

They accuse managers of charging excessive fees.

They also want schools to avoid foreign names. Some have names like Liverpool and Florida to attract students.

Nepal is still gripped by political instability six years after the end

of the civil war between Maoist rebels and the army in which more than 13,000 people were killed.

Parliament in the Himalayan nation was dissolved after lawmakers failed to ratify a new constitution.

UN condemns student attacks on Nepal schools The United Nations in Nepal has condemned recent attacks on schools that it says are endangering children’s lives and jeopardizing their right to an education.

Student groups have attacked several high schools and junior colleges mostly in the capital, Katmandu, this month. They accuse managers of charging high fees, running misleading advertisements and giving the institutions foreign

names such as “Liverpool,” ‘’Cambridge” and “Florida” to lure students.

Attackers damaged property and set school buses on fire on two occasions.

The U.N. statement says the most recent attacks on school buses could have had disastrous consequences as some children were inside.

It urges authorities to investigate the attacks and identify those responsible. Attacks by student groups are rarely investigated by Nepalese authorities.

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WEEKLY REVIEW OF SRILANKA NEWS

‘Development activities must not cease with change of ministers’ “The development activities already on track will never be stopped or cancelled with the change of ministers, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.

“Even with the change of portfolios or a changing of government, the planned development activities should continue as scheduled and those development activities should not be affected, “ the President said.

President Rajapaksa was addressing the Nuwara Eliya District Special Development Committee meeting at the Nuwara Eliya District Secretariat yesterday.

The District Secretary presented the Nuwara Eliya district progress report to the President.

Noting that the playground development activities in Nuwara Eliya commenced by former Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge was now at a standstill , the President instructed the relevant officials to complete the construction as planned. During the discussion the district secretary pointed out that there is a scarcity of technical officers in the district. the President ordered that graduates recruited recently be trained for the task.

President Rajapaksa further said the money deposited in the Samurdhi Banks should only

be invested in government institutions.

“Public servants are duty bound to take prompt action to resolve issues in their respective fields. They must not allow things to drag on so that the subject will surface over and over again,” he said.

“Government officials are entrusted with the

responsibility to assist the public in obtaining redress to their problems, while performing an exemplary role in the service of the state, the President said.

President Rajapaksa instructed officials to take measures to solve problems in the Nuwara Eliya district focusing their attention on the

burning problems, such as, teacher shortage, drinking water, issues relating to farming, animal husbandry, health needs, irrigation, urban development, road construction etc.

The President also instructed officials to try and wean the estate community from eating wheat based products and instil in them the rice eating habit.

He advised officials to maintain the quality of development activities especially where road construction activities were concerned since it was found that certain roads constructed were damaged within a short period.

The officials were instructed to closely monitor the development activities while following approved quality standards.Special attention was drawn to provide infrastructure facilities for the benefit of visitors to Nuwara Eliya.

President Rajapaksa said it is the responsibility of politicians and state officials to make best use of public funds for the numerous development activities.

Accordingly, every official is duty bound to make his utmost contribution to society and the country.

He stressed that the role of a politician should be exemplary to society.

Sri Lanka seeks another IMF IMF approves US$ 415m final bailout after record loan tranche of SBA for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Saturday announced the completion of a $2.6 billion IMF bailout, but it was seeking fresh loans to support an economy emerging from decades of ethnic

war. The International Monetary Fund on Friday released the final instalment of the bailout agreed in July 2009, two months after Colombo defeated Tamil rebels in a major offensive to end the drawn-out conflict.

The drawing down the final instalment of the bailout package marked the longest engagement Sri Lanka has had with the IMF and the single largest facility from a multilateral institution, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka said.

“Sri Lankan authorities now look forward to the continued close engagement with the IMF and intend to discuss the possibility of financial support for its economic

development agenda...” the bank said in a statement.

It did not say how much Sri Lanka hoped to secure from the IMF by way of fresh loans, but finance ministry sources said Colombo was looking at more than $500 million as a first step. The original July 2009 IMF bailout was secured when the island’s foreign reserves had dropped to a dangerously low level of $1 billion, or just sufficient to support a couple of week’s imports.

Since then, Sri Lanka has built up reserves which could finance imports of up to three and a half months, according to the bank.

However, a $10 billion trade deficit at the end of last year caused the local currency to depreciate by about 18 percent this year.

Last week, Sri Lanka raised $1 billion through a bond issue that was over subscribed by a record 10.5 fold despite volatility in global markets, according to the central bank. Sri Lanka’s economy grew 8.3 percent last year, up from 8.0 percent in 2010, the first full year after government forces crushed the Tamil Tiger rebels. However, the IMF has said it forecasts Sri Lanka’s economy to grow at a slower rate this year.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Friday completed the eighth and final review of Sri Lanka’s economic performance under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and approved an immediate disbursement of about US$ 415 million.

With this final tranche of the SBA approved on July 24, 2009 for an amount equivalent to 400 percent of Sri Lanka’s quota, the global lender has disbursed US$ 2.49 billion to Sri Lanka.

Approving the last installment following the Executive Board’s discussion on Sri Lanka, Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair Naoyuki Shinohara has said that Sri Lankan authorities have undertaken substantial macroeconomic policy adjustments to stabilize international reserves.

In a statement Shinohara has suggested Sri Lanka to continue macroeconomic stabilization and structural reforms efforts, in particular maintaining exchange rate flexibility while building international reserves, given the uncertain global outlook.

The Acting Chair has further noted that a “successor arrangement with the Fund (IMF)” would provide valuable support to the Sri Lankan

authorities to achieve those goals.

The government had discussions with the IMF last month on receiving fresh financial assistance, reportedly a US$ 500 million Security Arrangement after the conclusion of the SBA. The official has observed that following robust growth in the first quarter of 2012, activity has started moderating in response to policy tightening and weakening global demand.

“Headline inflation has increased, but core inflation remains relatively stable, while tighter monetary and credit policies have begun slowing credit and import growth. The external current account deficit is narrowing, and international reserves have stabilized,” he has noted.

Sri Lanka’s economy recorded a high growth rate of 8.3 percent for the second consecutive year in 2011 but for 2012, the Central Bank has lowered the growth rate projection to 7.2 percent.

The global lender has agreed that

Sri Lanka’s current monetary policy stance is appropriate, and stressed that “monetary conditions should remain firm in the near term given high headline inflation and possible second-round effects.”

“With a flexible exchange rate regime, monetary policy can increasingly focus on inflation control to achieve broader macroeconomic stability while allowing the exchange rate to act as a buffer for external shocks.

Foreign exchange market intervention should thus be limited to smoothing excessive volatility, and steps should be taken to gradually deepen the foreign exchange market,” the Acting Chair said in his statement.

Shinohara however, observed that the slowdown in economic activity and declining imports are adversely affecting fiscal revenues, while interest payments on government debt are higher than budgeted.

Although the authorities are committed to meeting their 2012 deficit target by restraining expenditure, an intensified effort to strengthen revenue administration is needed, the IMF official noted.

He pointed out the need for the Sri Lankan government to continue structural reforms to put state-owned energy enterprises on a “sound financial footing”.

NEWS

24

Saarc international I Thursday 26 July 2012

Nepal-Bangladesh talks on trade, transport next week Nepal and Bangladesh are holding a secretarial level meeting next week to discuss trade and transport facilitation between the two countries.

Bangladesh has provided additional rail corridor to Nepal through Rohonpur-Sighbad for bilateral trade and transit Ministry of Commerce and Supplies has prepared its agenda to discuss trade facilitation and promotion with Bangladesh during the meeting that will be held on July 29-30 in Kathmandu, said joint secretary at the ministry Naindra Prasad Upadhyaya.

“The ministry is planning to seek zero tariff facility with Bangladesh during the secretarial level meeting,”

he said.

Commerce secretary level meeting was earlier proposed for May but was postponed due to inconvenience of Bangladesh. The meeting aims at developing connectivity between

the two South Asian nations to promote bilateral trade relations. The volume of bilateral trade has not seen much improvement lately despite tremendous potentials for expanding and diversifying the trade between the two countries.

Nepal mainly exports lentils, oil cakes, cardamom, wheat, vegetable seeds, noodles to Bangladesh, whereas imports industrial raw materials, chemicals, fabrics and textile materials, jute

products, electric and electronic items. Bangladesh has provided Nepal transit facility at Chittagong and Mongla Ports, whereas the overland trade and transit route to Bangladesh from KakarbhittaPhulbari-Banglabandha has also been operational since September 1997.

Bangladesh has also provided additional rail corridor to Nepal through Rohonpur- Sighbad for bilateral trade and transit.

On September 6, 2011, India and Bangladesh signed an addendum to a 1978 India-Bangladesh memorandum of understanding between themselves regarding the use of RohanpurSinghabad rail transit route.

Nepal has also prepared agendas for transport facility, according to the ministry. According to the revised Trade Agreement of 2009 between Nepal and India, Nepal cannot provide similar tariff facility to third country. However, Bangladesh is keen to see Nepal use Mongla and Chittagong Ports for international trade.

Bangladesh had already offered Nepal and Bhutan the access to Mongla and Chittagong Ports. Opening up the two Ports to Nepal will not only bolster bilateral trade but also could hugely enhance Nepal’s exports beyond the region.

Currently, Nepal is using FulbariBanglabandha transit route.

Legal action initiated against ‘The Sun’: Pakistan Continued from page 1 >> them to get access to the mafia leaders.

“There are hints some of the accused might be affiliated with terror groups.

The Pakistan cabinet also ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to halt investigations pertaining to Olympics visa scam cases in light of its recent decision to file a lawsuit against the aforementioned tabloid.

The decision for filing the lawsuit was taken after NADRA Chairman Muhammad Tariq Malik briefed the cabinet.

Details were given in the cabinet briefing.

Earlier, The Sun had claimed to have broken into a crime ring which was issuing fake passports and visas, giving potential terrorists a chance to sneak into Britain along with Pakistan’s Olympic delegation.

Lahore-based politician Abid Chaudhry was accused by the tabloid for bypassing stringent security checks to smuggle people to London under the garb of Pakistani officials in exchange for a payment of Rs1 million.

A script submitted by the interior ministry mentions an instance in which a computerised NIC and passport were issued from Nadra and the passport office, Lahore, to a person with fake particulars of Muhammad Ali. The government was conducting investigations in the matter, including seeking the full profile of Abid Chaudhry whereas the FIA and other agencies were conducting their own investigations.

The FIA had also arrested 11 suspects in relation to the scams believed to be carried out by Chaudhry and other officials.

Pakistan’s federal cabinet, on

Wednesday, decided to take legal action against a British tabloid for publishing a fabricated report on Pakistan’s passport-issuing authority.

The cabinet announced its decision to sue UK-based tabloid “The Sun” for a story published in the paper on Monday, July 23, which alleged that a group of travel agents and a politician were involved in a scam, which allowed anyone to travel with the Pakistani Olympic contingent as support staff if they pay a certain amount of money.

However, an investigation conducted

by Pakistan’s National Database Registration Authority (Nadra) dismissed The Sun’s claims and called its report a “fake scam.”

“There was no fraud or illegal activity done while obtaining the ID

cards and passport of “the Sun Man” Mohammad Ali Asad,” a Nadra statement said.

According to the tabloid’s report, their “man” was able to get a fake passport issued in his name by bribing officials at Nadra.

The passport-issuing authority, however, said: “Documentary and video evidence proves that Mohammad Ali Asad was himself present for the renewal of his expired CNIC. Asad was picked by “The Sun” as undercover, who travelled to Pakistan on July 8. He went to Nadra office, Baghbanpura to get his photo updated against his own CNIC on July 10 rather than getting someone else identity as claimed by “The Sun” story. His CNIC was updated after matching with his previous record held in database. After getting his

CNIC modified, he processed for his MRP (machine readable passport) on July 13, which was delivered to him on July 18. Since the same person applied to renew his own ID card and for provision of a passport, nothing illegal was done.”

Following the Nadra investigation, a cabinet meeting, headed by Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, discussed the details and decided to pursue legal action.

Director General (DG) of Immigration and Passport and Chairman National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) gave a detailed briefing to the cabinet, revealing details of the investigative report.

The cabinet stated that the scandal was a conspiracy of the British tabloid, which has been foiled to

malign Pakistan’s image.

Meanwhile, a magistrate of a local court on Wednesday handed over four detained Nadra officials to the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) on a three-day remand.

One has to remember that Just few week ago all UK newspaper and other media carried a news that Terror suspects are entering the UK ahead of the Olympics because inexperienced border staff are failing to carry out the proper security checks, frontline Heathrow officials have claimed. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the UK Border Agency official claimed three terror suspects had been waved through by staff on his shifts since the start of July.

All were registered on the Home Office suspect index system.

Another employee alleged that staff had missed five suspects in just one day earlier this month.

Recently Back in October Sun published a story that 200 suicide bombers are on the loose in UK Ministers warned of Olympic threat than amazingly just after few days on 25th October another story Taliban in ‘200-man UK attack at Christmas’ was published and now as all are worried that Olympics are under terror threat . also to remind our Pakistani Leader Shiekh Rasheed also claimed the similar number when he warned on Live television that suicide numbers will attack NATO trucks. SO this current story is to substantiate the grave and dangerous threat which Israel is openly claiming that it will happen.

But to amaze upon all threat a report produced by The Rockefeller Foundation and Global Business Network back in May 2010 claimed that “The years 2010 to 2020 were dubbed the “doom decade” for good reason: the 2012 Olympic bombing, which killed 13,000,”

Saarc international I Thursday 26 July 2012

ENTERTAINMENT

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Bollywood Songstress Nindy Kaur’s Musical Tribute to RDB Brother Kuly

International Urban-Bhangra artist Nindy Kaur will lend her soulful voice to a special song in memory of RDB’s Kuly Ral. The moving song, titled ‘Tut Gaya Dil’, features the vocal talents of rising urban rap star Smooth, whose collaboration on Nindy’s track Aloo Chat saw him come to the attention of music moguls around the world.

He was immediately signed to the

RDB label Three Records Ltd to work on new material, with his debut being a feature on Nindy’s tribute track to Kuly.

The track has been written by Nindy, Smooth and Kuly’s father Harjog Singh, and is scheduled for release later this month through Three Records Ltd. Nindy said of the project: “Not only did I lose my brother-in-law but a

true friend, my biggest support and studio buddy. The atmosphere in the studio will never be same.

“I had to pour out my feelings to Dad (Harjog Singh) when writing my lines, and I must say Dad did an amazing job of writing those emotion filled lines. Smooth is like a brother and we’ve shared many good times with Kuly when making songs like Aloo Chaat.

When he asked me to be part of this song there was no way I would ever refuse. Smooth defines talent and his lyrics throughout the track sum up everything we are going through”.

Billed as a ‘one to watch’ star for 2012, Nindy has successfully released her first two hit singles from her debut solo album, Nindypendent, which entered straight into the number one spot.

Earlier this year, she came to the attention of mainstream music pundits with the release of Save The World, a fusion track of pure adrenaline dance coupled with Nindy’s trademark Punjabi kick, produced by the Canadian music group Culture Shock behind hits for Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Nicole Scherzinger.

Shah Rukh Khan is all praise for Farah Khan

The superstar calls the filmmaker one of India’s finest directors Megastar Shah Rukh Khan on Tuesday launched the music and third poster of choreographer-director Farah Khan’s debut film as an actor, Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi, in Mumbai and praised her as one of India’s finest directors.

King Khan, who is a very good friend of Farah’s, said: “She is one of the most finest and talented director we have with us. I thank Farah for giving me some nicest moment in her films [sic].”

Farah Khan and Boman Irani recreated the magic of characters Simran and Raj of Dilwale Dhulaniya Le Jayenge (DDLJ) in a poster.

“I have seen spoofs of all movies

created by others, but I never thought one would ever think of making a spoof on DDLJ,” SRK said.

The 1995 blockbuster romantic film DDLJ featured King Khan and Kajol in the lead.

SRK, Irani and Farah Khan danced on stage, where the megastar played

Raj of DDLJ, Khan played Simran and Irani played Amrish Puri.

Shirin Farhad..., directed by Bela Sehgal, is a romantic-comedy focusing on a 40-plus couple.

“I think love can happen at any age. It has no age. There is no right time and right place for love. It can happen any time,” SRK said.

“We have seen love stories made with young teenagers but this one is

different. I have seen the posters and promo of this film and I really loved it.

It is a marvellous love story. I am sure this film will rock. I am sure people will connect with this film.”

Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi will release in India next month.

Navin Kundra ‘Shudaayi’

Navin Kundra is releasing his next solo single, ‘Shudaayi’, on the 20th August 2012. Having achieved a consistent string of top ten hits including five number one singles, Navin’s latest offering sees him delivering vocals in a mixture of English and Punjabi over a strong Dutch house beat.

“This is a high energy dance fusion track made to make you move”, says Navin speaking about ‘Shudaayi’. “This record has been my obsession for the last year and a half, and I have been working very closely with my talented producer, Mushtaq, to ensure that every element of this song is right”. Having delivered hits such as ‘Tere Liye’, ‘Mehbooba’ and

‘Nach Le’ amongst others, Navin explains that he wants to give his audience something new with each release and continue to develop as an artist.

Known for his versatility, Navin also reveals that he has changed his look and vocal style for the new release and viewers will see pop singer Tina Barrett from the former pop group SClub7 in the music video. As she embarks on her new solo career, Navin will also be featuring on a remix for her debut solo release, ‘Fire’.

‘Shudaayi’ will be released worldwide on all digital platforms, including iTunes, on the 20th August 2012, aptly timed to coincide with Eid.

Salman Khan turns good boy; quits smoking The actor has also become a teetotaller No one can ever make Salman Khan do what he doesn’t want. This was also the case with his smoking habits.

Many times in the past Salman has been advised to quit smoking.

Salman promised to give up smoking several times, but he failed to keep his words.

But now the ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ actor has realised that it’s high time he ought to be take charge of his health until it got too late.

He is enjoying success like never before and has become extremely disciplined. After his health scare around a year back due to trigeminal neuralgia (nerve pain), Salman does not want to hamper the recovery process any more.

And thus his decision to quit alcohol and cigarette to prevent worsening his nerve condition.

It has been five months since Salman lit a cigarette or drank liquor.

A national daily, Mid Day, has revealed an interesting piece of news

which says that whenever Salman gets the urge to smoke, he pulls out a cigarette and puffs on it sans lighting it. But when he discards the cigarette, his staff brings it back so that Salman could re-use it. This trick seems to be working for the actor.

COMMENT

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South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 July 2012

Why U.S. cities are going bankrupt I was struck last week to hear that the city of San Bernardino, California is declaring bankruptcy. It follows similar moves in the past month by Mammoth Lakes and Stockton, also in California. Before them it was Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Jefferson County, Alabama, Central Falls, Rhode Island – the list continues.

What in the world is going on? Companies go bankrupt all the time – but what happens when a city goes under?

By Stephen Lendman

In past decades, many US municipalities declared bankruptcy.

Since 1981, 42 cases were filed. Ten came in the past four years. Given hard times getting harder, what’s happening now is unprecedented since the Great Depression. Cities occasionally declare bankruptcy. In America, they’re coming more often.

Others in dire financial straits may follow.

San Bernardino, CA is the latest.

On July 11, The New York Times headlined “Third City In California Votes to Seek Bankruptcy,” saying: Officials have no choice. They can’t meet payroll obligations through summer. “Faced with a budget shortfall of $45 million and city coffers that have already been drained, the San Bernardino City Council voted on Tuesday to file for bankruptcy.”

Interim city manager Andrea TravisMiller said: “I am concerned about our ability to make payroll, not only in the next 30 days but also in the next 60 to 90 days. A major restructuring of this organization is needed.”

California cities have two Chapter 9 bankruptcy options. They can either hire a third-party mediator to negotiate with unions and creditors or declare a fiscal emergency. San Bernardino chose the latter way.

Depression conditions ravage the city. Many others face similar problems. Stockton and Mammoth Lakes declared bankruptcy earlier.

Other financially strapped cities and towns around the state and country may follow.

It’s hard keeping up with many troubled municipalities, counties, school systems, and other public services potentially facing bankruptcy. In December 2010, financial analyst Meredith Whitney told 60 Minutes that over 100 US cities could go bust in the next year.

“There’s not a doubt on my mind that you will see a spate of municipal bond defaults. You can see fifty to a hundred sizeable defaults - more.

This will amount to hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of defaults,” she said.

States spending exceedes revenues by hundreds of billions of dollars.

Pension funds are $1 trillion in the red. Things are worse now than then.

Meredith’s prediction hasn’t unfolded as fast as she feared. However, before crisis conditions subside, she may be proved right and then some.

Paul Craig Roberts sees America’s economy collapsing. He wrote about

it and told Progressive Radio News Hour listeners. He wonders if it’ll happen before Washington clashes with Russia and China militarily.

He suggests an ominous doomsday choice - going down either financially or in a mushroom shaped cloud.

Americans achieved nothing from wars but unrepayable debt.

Michael Hudson says debts that can’t be paid, won’t be. He calls it a “common denominator throughout recorded history.” Adam Smith said

break untenable contracts and get more attractive financing. In 1994, Orange County, CA went bust.

It’s home to some of the countries most affluent communities. Bad speculative investments caused bankruptcy.

In May 2008, Vallejo, CA declared it.

Last-ditch rescue efforts failed. Up to then, a California city that large never took this route. At the time, city manager Joseph Tanner said: “This has been a long frustrating process

city to file. Mayor Ann Johnston said she saw “no other solution.”

Health care for current and retired city workers was slashed. Vallejo did the same thing. So do other cities and towns. People least able to manage suffer most. Bankruptcy attorney Dale Ginter said labor and health insurance costs hurt municipalities.

Cutting what impacts them most gets prioritized. Stockton, Harrisburg, San Bernardino, Vallejo, and other municipal bankruptcies reflect years

homelessness are endemic. Former middle class residents suffer like others. Their status reflects a national nightmare. In August 2011, Central Falls, RI declared bankruptcy.

Located north of Providence, it’s the state’s poorest municipality. In 2010, it entered receivership. Major concessions were made. In February 2010, Central Falls High School fired all 74 teachers and 19 staff. It was part of a “turnaround plan.” It never materialized. Deep concessions

governments never repay debts.

When they become too burdensome, defaults follow. The possibility that US cities and municipalities may fall like tenpins looms very real.

Since 2008, budgets have been severely slashed. Doing so becomes counterproductive.

Austerity assures disaster. With fewer people employed at lower pay, revenues can’t match expenses. Higher taxes make things worse. People can’t buy goods and services without jobs and decent incomes. Prospects ahead don’t look bright. Instead of going for broke by stimulating growth, America, like European countries, are going broke. Bad policies beget bad results. Sacrificing economies and households to enrich bankers assures failure. In America it’s happening one foreclosure, lost job, bankrupt city and municipality at a time. Things are dismal. Instead of fixing problems, they’re festering.

Until the 1930s, it was legally impossible for US cities to declare bankruptcy. Municipal legislation permitting it didn’t exist. The 1934 Bankruptcy Act changed things.

Cities and municipalities were included. Earlier rules became today’s US Bankruptcy Code Chapter 9. It’s available exclusively to cities and towns. Municipal bankruptcies don’t extinguish debt.

Reorganization follows. Cities can

for everyone. There are no winners here tonight.” Vallejo’s city council voted unanimously to approve Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection. Its finances were in shambles.

Across America, cities and towns face the same dilemma. It’s not pretty when mayors and municipal managers can’t meet payrolls or pay other expenses. Short of turning out the lights and shutting down municipal government, they reorganize. Life goes on as usual but not easily for many. Ordinary people suffer most. Basic services get scrubbed to the bone. Bare bones resources are left.

Last October, Jefferson County, AL declared Chapter 9 bankruptcy. It’s home to the state’s most populous city, Birmingham. Its debt exceeded $4 billion. It was America’s largest municipal filing in history. Fears spread then and now about who’s next. Along with many small towns, transportation and school systems, Pennsylvania’s capital Harrisburg filed last year. In late June 2012, Stockton, CA declared bankruptcy.

It signaled more attacks on public workers, pensions and public services throughout the country. It acted after talks with bondholders and unions failed. A statement released said “(t) he city is fiscally insolvent and must seek Chapter 9” protection. The agricultural center is the largest US

of Wall Street fleecing America.

Crooked bankers transformed America into an unprecedented money making racket.Complicit with federal, state and local governments, they make it the old fashioned way.

They steal it. Ordinary Americans get scammed. So do large and small municipalities.

When other choices run out, bankruptcy’s the final option. Class war follows. Private wealth and working households vie. A handful of winners emerge. Ordinary people lose jobs, homes, and vital services.

Cherished ones are slashed or ended. The American dream is just a memory. Super-rich elites cash in big to make more. Concentrated wealth and power never had it so good. Ordinary people experience dystopian nightmare reality. In bankrupt municipalities, they suffer most. Detroit hasn’t gone bust but it’s dying. Half or more working aged residents have no jobs. Those with them have low-pay part-time or temp ones.

For over a century, it was America’s industrial heartland. It drew workers from around the country for highpaying jobs with good benefits. Now they’re gone. In the last decade, half the population left. Factories and neighborhoods are empty.

Detroit is America’s poorest big city.

Poverty, unemployment, hunger and

accompanied rehiring. Greater ones followed bankruptcy. In March 2011, Boise County, Idaho filed for protection. It did so to buy time to figure out how to pay creditors.

In October 2009, Prichard, AL declared bankruptcy for the second time. Mayor Ron Davis just finished paying creditors from its 1999 filing.

He released a statement saying other options weren’t viable.

Large and smaller US cities are troubled short of bankruptcy. They include New York, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Bell, CA, Detroit, Pontiac, Cincinnati, Honolulu, Washington, Newark, Camden, Paterson, Harrison and Salem, NJ, Gary, IN, Redding, PA, Joliet and Riverdale, IL, Hamtramck, MI, and others. Counties, school systems, and other municipal services face going broke. States are budget strapped. Conditions aren’t getting easier. Debts that can’t be paid, won’t be. As long as business as usual prioritizes bankers over economies and households, collapse ahead looks more likely than recovery. Today’s grim reality portends it.

Stephen Lendman Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@ sbcglobal.net. His new book is titled “How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion and Class War”

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 July 2012

COMMENT

27

It Takes a Village, and Some…

The Recent Attacks Against Israelis

by Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich On July 18, 2012, attack on an Israeli tourist bus in Bulgaria took the lives of 5 Israeli nationals, a Bulgarian, and the mysterious suicide bomber.

It is reported that the suspect, a young Caucasian, had a fake Michigan driver’s license.

According to Israeli Haaretz, a top Bulgarian official warned that it would be a “mistake” to blame a specific country or organization for the attack. However, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had other ideas.

Quick to point the finger at Iran, Mr. Netanyahu called it an “Iranian terror network spreading throughout the world”.

He added: “Exactly 18 years after the attack on a Jewish community center in Argentina, the Iranian terror continues to hurt innocent people.”

Apparently, it takes a village and some to set Iran up.

These serious allegations with a potential for disaster, demand scrutiny on several levels. The most fundamental question which needs to be addressed is who benefits from these attacks.

One must question the location – location, location, location. And finally, analyze the empirical data.

Who Benefits?

In spite of Israel and its Washington lobbies pushing for a war against Iran, of late, prominent voices have adopted a less bellicose stance towards Iran and its nuclear program.

The possibility of any military action against Iran which would undoubtedly lead to a closure of the world’s most important oil choke point, the Strait of Hormuz, has prompted politicians around the globe to opt for a diplomatic solution to end the impasse with Iran.

Somewhat optimistically, Iran is investing its efforts in diplomacy.

While continuing to work towards a mutually acceptable solution with the P5+1, Iran is making extensive preparations for the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit it will be hosting in Tehran in August.

Over the past three centuries, Iran has never initiated a war and it would seem unlikely that at this juncture Tehran would resort to terrorism and solicit condemnation and possibly

war.

On the other hand, the targeting and killing of Israeli citizens by Iran would serve to support and justify Netanyahu’s call for military action against Iran.

For Netanyahu, domestic dissatisfaction aside, Israel’s policy of settlement expansion, a policy which government appointed jurists called legal, has brought international condemnation.

With the moderate Kadima party pulling out of government, leaving Netanyahu in charge of hard-line coalition opposed to Middle East peace, Israel needs support from its allies more than ever.

Undoubtedly, Israel would have greater support as a victim instead of an aggressor.

Location, Location, Location In addition to the Bulgaria attack, Mr. Netanyahu has blamed Iran for attacks in other countries, including the apparent foiled attack in Cyprus and the accusations leveled against Iran for plotting an attack in Kenya.

Bulgaria – Bulgaria and Israel have very cordial relations. In July 2011, an Israeli-Bulgarian declaration pledged wide range cooperation. A year later, on July 8th, Bulgaria’s former foreign minister Solomon Passy told The Times of Israel that Israel should aggressively seek to join NATO and the EU. Passy said: “Israel is part of Western civilization

and of the Euro-Atlantic political culture and that’s why Israel shouldn’t be shy to vocally say that it wants to become a member of NATO, the EU and OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe],”.

Ten days later, an attack against Israel took place in Bulgaria.

Thailand – Thailand and Israel have had cordial relations with moderate and steady trade. In January 2012, Thailand recognized Palestine as an independent state. A month later, Israel blamed Iran for “terrorist attacks” in Bangkok. Allegedly, one of the perpetrators had carried his “Iranian” passport on him to carry out the mission.

India – India and Israel have had very amicable relations. On July 17,

“Speculation centered on the possibility that former Argentine government and military officials, fearful of exposure, were responsible for the bomb attack.”[i] This is but one of the many instances where allegations against Iran have been made without any proof.

However, there have been many instances where Israeli false flag operations have come to light.

2003, JINSA’s executive director delivered a speech in Washington to the US–India Political Action Committee International Conference on Terrorism in India in which he put Israel, the United States, and India in the same boat – as the number one on the terrorist hit list (Bonney 2008).

In 2008, India launched Israel’s spy satellite into orbit. In spite of its close ties to Israel, India has not stopped trade with Iran. In fact, two days prior to the Israeli embassy staff in India were targeted on February 13, 2012, India defended its oil trade with Iran.

Empirical Data

Netanyahu – always blaming who he wants attacked next

The Georgian War – Another Stupid One Georgia– Israel’s relations with Georgia are unique. It was widely reported in 2008 that Israel had the green light to attack Iran from

Mr. Netanyahu made a clear reference to 1994 saying: “Exactly 18 years after the attack on a Jewish community center in Argentina, the Iranian terror continues to hurt innocent people.”

The 1994 bombing in Argentina was blamed squarely on Iran without any evidence while all other voices were silenced.

Prominent voices such as Rabbi

Georgian territory.

Israel is thought to have played a prominent role in the RussianGeorgian conflict (see link for full details of the relationship.)

In 2010, Georgia and Iran entered a new phase in their relationship and Nino Kalandadze, the Georgian deputy foreign minister expressed that “ties will further deepen”.

As with India, Iran was blamed for the bomb attempts in Georgia.

Given the nature of Israel’s relations with these countries, one cannot definitively conclude why these countries were picked by the perpetrators of these crimes. Perhaps these Israeli allies are not safe for Israelis, or they are safe for false-flag operations.

Abraham Cooper, associate director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles who suggested that [Argentine] government and military figures may have sought to embarrass the Menem government because of its decision to release the files” being investigated in the AMIA building at the time.

An important project being carried out at the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association building was a review of previously secret government files that reportedly reveal how Nazis entered Argentina following World War II helped by Argentine officials.

The review of the files had gone on for two years, but had not been completed at the time of the bombing.

The USS Liberty KIAs and Wounded – Were Abandoned on the Field by a Corrupt Military and Civilian Leadership Many reports as well as a detailed account (“Operation Cyanide”) reveals the Israeli plan to kill everyone on board the USS Liberty in 1967 and put the blame on Egypt.

The survivors prompted President Johnson and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara to order the investigation to conclude the attack was a case of mistaken identity.

Israel has always had a knack for stealing passports and other IDs to carry out false flag operations.

According to The New Zealand Herald (September 21, 2004)[ii], Mossad agents tried to steal New Zealand passports, causing friction between New Zealand and Israel. It is not the first time this has come to light, according to the same source.

Mossad agents had stolen Canadian passports to assassinate a Jordanian leader. These are not isolated cases.

In January 2012, it came to light

that Israeli Mossad officers recruited operatives belonging to the terrorist group Jundallah by passing themselves off as American agents.

According to two U.S. intelligence officials, while toting U.S. passports and posing as CIA officers, they recruited Jundallah operatives.

One month later, in February, NBC reported that according to US officials, Israel armed and trained the terrorist MEK. While there is plenty of empirical data to support that Israelis are not shy about false flag operations, one would be hard pressed to accept that Israel would carry out a false flag operation and kill its own. Not so.

Continued from page 31 >>

SPECIAL FEATURE

28

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 July 2012

Salwa al-Mutairi said Keep Sex Slaves to your husband

Russian Blondes Wanted for Islamic Sexual Slavery Men should be allowed sex slaves and female prisoners could do the job - and all this from a WOMAN politician from Kuwait

comes out a bit politically incorrect even to the taste of the majority of Muslims, who have long forgotten that slavery is a well- established institution in Islam. Saudi Arabia officially abolished slavery as late

international cry against slavery. But now some Muslims are demanding its return. So Muslim spin misters are advocating the embarrassing, but legal, topic through the mouths of Muslim women.

to the Kuwait Times about the establishment of a new law permitting men to buy and sell nonMuslim girls, captured in jihad, as sexual slaves in order to protect Muslim men against seductive

When Muslim Sheikhs discuss the topic of sexual slavery of women, which is allowed in the Qur’an, it

as 1962, not because Islam made the Saudis do it, but because the Saudis wanted to save face after an

A Kuwaiti woman who is called an “activist” and former candidate to the Kuwaiti parliament, spoke

sexual immorality. The Arabic Al Arabiya had more details on what that woman, Salwa al-Mutairi, is

advocating: Ms. Mutairi who was nice enough to put the minimum age of 15 for slave girls, Christian Jews or other, to be sold. She demanded the immediate establishment of slave agencies just like agencies for maids, where the slave girls will earn a whopping 50 Kuwaiti Dinar monthly and in return will cook, clean, take care of the kids and be the slave of the wife during the day. But her job does not end there; at night, whenever Mutairi is not in the mood, then her husband will not stray too far away from the house, since it is halal (kosher) for the husband to have sex with the slave girls without any marriage or unnecessary paper to satisfy his sexual pleasures. Better do it at home under the watchful eyes of the wife and kids only for 50 Dinars.

Wow, what a deal!

The curious case of the woman who thinks sex slaves will stop Arab men from committing adultery

By MUNA KHAN

Al Arabiya Salwa Al Mutairi is very concerned about male adulterers.

And why should she not be given the scandals to have rocked the western world in the last few months—be it the former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn charged with sexually assaulting a hotel housekeeper in New York City or California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger who admitted to infidelity and having a child out of wedlock as the reason behind the dissolution of his marriage.

This is but just two examples of high profile marriages going bust which even prompted the bastion of weekly newsmagazines Time to ask why men cheat.

While Ms. Al-Mutairi’s worries may not concern matters on Western shores—she is a Kuwaiti activist—she does offer a novel proposition to curb the cheating of men: legalize sex slavery.

No, this is not a case of something being lost in translation, nor am I making it up.

The one-time candidate for Kuwaiti Parliament and TV show host said that a legislative act sanctioning enslaved female concubines would “protect” men from committing adultery or corruption.

I thought concubine was struck out of the dictionary because Oxford had to make room for couch surfer, la-la land and muffin top to name but a few—I am also not making this up—but it’s alive and well.

But there’s nothing funny about slavery.

And I’m not the only one who thinks that Ms. Al Mutairi does no great

service to her gender with such preposterous views. Twitterverse was outraged, disgusted and tweeple keen to point out that she does not represent all Kuwaitis.

Ms. Al Mutairi would have us believe that men’s desires need to be constantly catered to—so much for women’s liberation.

She also said—and rather seriously too in her online video broadcast which was reported by Kuwait Times on Sunday—that she’d been informed that “affluent Muslim men who fear being seduced or tempted into immoral behavior by the beauty of their female servants, or even of those servants ‘casting spells’ on them, would be better to purchase women from an ‘enslaved maid’ agency for sexual purposes.”

Since there are agencies to help us find domestic staff, the “activist” wants to see something similar for concubines.

Hey, maybe we can throw in summer specials: Buy one-get-one-free. Maybe GroupOn wants to get in on this.

Ms. Al Mutairi’s genius knows no bounds because she suggests that maids/concubines could be “brought as prisoners of war in war-stricken nations like Chechnya to be sold on later to devout merchants.”

I’m pretty certain the Chechens have a thing or two to say about this offer.

“Errr, no thanks” pretty much should sum it up.

Or, as Mona Eltahawy tweeted: “Wonder how Salwa Al Mutairi would’ve felt if during occupation

by Iraqi forces, she was sold as “war booty” as she advocates 4 [sic] Chechen women.”

The icing on the cake is when Ms. Al Mutairi says that the idea doesn’t go against the tenets of religion.

Perhaps she skipped class the day they

taught the story about how the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) freed slaves.

Or laid down pretty strict rules against adultery, like don’t do it.

It’s easy to dismiss Ms. Al Mutairi as a “joke”—I’m assured that many Kuwaitis see her as an embarrassment, as “our own Ann Coulter” tweeted one

venture, “The Obedient Wife Club,” launched on June 3 to teach women how to care for their husbands better so they don’t—you guessed it—stray.

Apparently these women are concerned by the increase in divorces in Malaysia and feel that by asking women to be more obedient to their husband, they

man—but it’s still baffling that she would espouse such notions in this day and age.

How does sex slavery prevent adultery?

(I thought wanting to stay in a monogamous marriage prevented adultery.)

How can there be anything remotely dignified about the word slavery in this day and age?

The only connection one can even make with slavery is rape—and there’s plenty of evidence to attest that girls and women are being sold into slavery and forced into all sorts of professions against their will. For Ms. Al Mutairi to even suggest that owning a concubine would prevent a man from becoming corrupt is downright irresponsible and simply shameful.

It is almost as idiotic as the Malaysian

will have fewer problems in society.

Why do women like Ms. Al Mutairi and the Malaysians behind the wives club feel the onus of adultery or men behaving badly lies with women? Why is there no responsibility placed on the man? Why are disobedient husbands like Mr. Strauss-Kahn or the Egyptian banker who is alleged to have assaulted a maid in New York City too last month get treated with a “wink wink, nudge nudge” locker room like applause from other men?

It’ll be nice for men to step forward and rubbish such views in a public domain.

Until then I’m happy to keep poking fun at the likes of men and women who want us to return to antiquated and warped values packaged in the name of religion.

Feel free to join in the fray.

(Muna Khan, Editor of Al Arabiya

English, can be reached at: muna. khan@mbc.net) Mutairi was especially interested in Russian slave girls since Muslim men do prefer them blond. Russian, European and American blond women, better watch out, the Muslims are coming! The plan is for Muslims in Chechnya to kidnap Russian girls after a jihadist operation and then will sell them to the Kuwaitis. The price of the sale per her suggestion would be 2500 Kuwaiti dinars.

Mutairi, who regards non-Muslim girls as subhuman, talked to the camera as a holier than thou “free” Muslim woman, and did use the expression “free women” referring to herself and all Muslim women, as she was wearing her black Islamic garb covering everything except her face, while advocating such immoral insanity as a right from Allah to Muslims.

Unfortunately, Mutairi is not the only Muslim woman who advocates sexual slavery for infidel women; there have been others who have advocated the rape of Jewish women on Arab TV. In my discussion with some Muslim women and girls right here in the U.S., I have seen some of the same dynamic repeated, where they defend polygamy, pleasure and temporary marriage for men while being silent about the flogging and stoning of adulterers in the Muslim world.

According to the morality of Sharia, owning a slave against her will for sex and housework is not morally corrupting, but having consensual sex between lovers before marriage is reason for severe and humiliating punishments. The message is that women must never pick and choose their lovers — that pleasure is only for men. Incidentally, it is illegal Continued on page 31 >>

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 July 2012

COMMENT

29

Israel killed its own citizens in Bulgaria to attack Iran?

Lyuba Lulko

Death may overtake an Israeli citizen anywhere in the world. This was probably the message that terrorists sent to the world when they blew up a bus with Israeli tourists on Wednesday at the airport in the Bulgarian resort of Burgas. It is no accident the attack was carried out in Bulgaria. Moreover, the attack coincided with the anniversary of the bombing in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The policy that Israel and the U.S. run in the Middle East makes Israelis hostages of the policy. The West started and fueled the war, and the situation threatens to spiral out of control.

The tragedy happened on Wednesday afternoon at Sarafovo Airport of Burgas. The explosion ripped through the bus with 40 Israeli tourists on board.

The tourists arrived in Bulgaria by plane from Tel Aviv. Seven people were killed in the blast, 32 were injured. At least four of the wounded are in critical condition.

The latest version of the Bulgarian government is the following: it was a suicide bomber who committed the attack. Prior to that, it was assumed that the bomb was planted in the luggage. The attacker has been identified. Reportedly, it is a U.S. citizen who entered Bulgaria with forged documents.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of the bombing. “Everything points to Iran,” said the head of the Israeli government, referring to the attacks against Israeli tourists that took place during the past three months in India, Georgia, Thailand, Kenya and Cyprus. “This is an Iranian terrorist attack that spreads around the world. Israel will react strongly to the Iranian terror,” said Netanyahu.

One may analyze his statement from two different points of view.

The first one is a political move of Israel to find a reason for conducting a direct strike on Iran.

The most extreme version says that Israel sacrificed its citizens for this very reason. The second position is the following. It is difficult to believe that it is a political move.

In other words, the Mossad made a mistake in identifying the author.

Then a natural question arises: why Bulgaria, and how would Israel respond?

The first position is less real, though, just because Israel’s

patron - the United States - is not interested in initiating a military conflict for the time being. There is no extra money to help, the

country is in a crisis and the problem of Iraq and Afghanistan still remains. The oil crisis, which in 2007 was intended to save the dollar, is no help now.

The second version can be discussed. One can not find the traces of Iranian intelligence services here ,of course, but one should realize that they are no less powerful than the Mossad.

Moreover, according to Bulgarian radio station “Darik Radio”, Israeli secret services had warned their Bulgarian counterparts of the possible terrorist attack in the region of Burgas. In particular, Bulgaria received a request to toughen security at airports and around them. Therefore, Netanyahu means what he says.

Why Bulgaria? First, the attack was conducted where it was not expected at all, just like in Argentina, where a bomb exploded in an Israeli NGO 18 years ago.

Secondly, they struck the Balkans, where the West made a “black hole” in the form of Kosovo and where Islamic extremists feel very much at ease. This is an important factor, given that any bomber always needs a “safety net”. In addition, Washington has been trying to become a “sponsor” of Bulgaria and other Eastern European countries since 1989.

The US needs to ensure their reorientation towards the West and avoid the revival of Russia’s influence.

There are several Russian-Bulgarian facilities in the Balkan country: two air bases, a training center and a logistics center that allows Washington to be a step away from the Middle East. In addition, in 2004, Bulgaria

joined NATO, and established the State Agency for National Security four years later.

Other suspects in the Burgas bombing are the Palestinian Hezbollah and the notorious al-Qaeda.

The first is a radical Shiite group, funded by Iran and coordinated by Quds - a division of the Revolutionary Guards).

However, a Hezbollah representative immediately denied the accusations of the movement’s involvement in the bombing. According to him, Israel’s assumptions are ridiculous. Hezbollah is not at war with tourists. There is no doubt that other Palestinian movements will not claim responsibility for the bombing, at the time when they approached the

recognition of their independence at the UN. As for al Qaeda, this SunniWahhabi organization, created by the Americans, does not exist for a long time already. However, fanatics and extremists - both

a natural result of more than half a century of policies pursued by the U.S. in the Middle East under the influence of the Jewish lobby and constructed by the principle of “divide and conquer.” This principle has already led to the

One may analyze his statement from two different points of view. The first one is a political move of Israel to find a reason for conducting a direct strike on Iran. The most extreme version says that Israel sacrificed its citizens for this very reason. organized and loners - still serve under the flag of the terrorist group. Their participation in the Bulgarian terrorist attack is highly likely indeed.

However, whether Shiite or Sunni extremists, they will not stop their Jihad against Israel and the West.

It is no accident the attack was carried out in Europe on the eve of the London Olympics. This is

“Arab spring” and the Islamization of Africa and Europe. Israel is like a cornered animal, after President Obama publicly proposed to revise the outcome of the Six-Day War and discuss the return of the country in the borders of 1967.

When driven into a corner, animals can commits insane acts.

Lyuba Lulko

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.

DEFINITELYDUBAI.COM

30

SPORTS

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 July 2012

South Africa beat England in first Test

his wicket came off a short, wide ball, which Bopara tried to punch to the off side, only to get a thick inside edge which caused the ball to crash into his stumps.

Bell was dropped by standin wicketkeeper AB de Villiers off leg-spinner Imran Tahir when he was on 20, with De Villiers failing to hold a thin edge in Tahir’s first over of the day, shortly before the morning drinks break.

Bell and Bopara put on 50 for the fifth wicket and Bell found another useful partner in Matt Prior as the pair added 86 for the sixth wicket.

Both batsmen were caught

by Kallis — Prior off spinner Imran Tahir and Bell off Steyn, making it only a question of time before South Africa ran through the tail end.

Steyn finished with second innings figures of five for 56 after Graeme Swann lofted a drive straight down Alviro Petersen’s throat at cover while spinner Imran Tahir (3-63) made sure of victory, trapping James Anderson lbw with a low ball.

South Africa on Monday took a one-nil lead in the threematch series against England, beating the hosts by an innings and 12 runs and securing their first win at the Oval after a masterful display of top-order batting.

Hashim Amla’s unbeaten 311, ably supported by 182 not out from veteran all-rounder Jacques Kallis and 131 from Graeme Smith took the Proteas to 637 for 2 before they declared, setting England a target of 252 to make them bat again.

But with England resuming on 102 for four on the final day, the hosts were always facing an uphill battle to save the game and, despite some resistance from Ian Bell (55) and Matt Prior (40), the task ultimately proved impossible.

England, however, had managed to survive the first session virtually unscathed, moving to 177 for five at lunch, with the only wicket to fall that of Ravi Bopara, who was bowled off an inside edge by Dale Steyn for 22 in the seventh over.

Steyn bowled an accurate spell at the start of the day but Continued from page 32

London 2012 Olympics: pregnant Malaysian shooter Nur Suryani Mohamad Taibi aiming for historic gold

The first Malaysian female shooter to appear at the Olympic Games is hopeful that her unborn baby is not too quick off the mark to halt her quest for what would be a historic gold medal for her country.

When Malaysia’s first women’s Olympic shooter takes aim in London, she will offer a silent prayer to Allah to keep her unborn child from kicking until the mum-to-be can pull the trigger. Nur Suryani Mohamad Taibi, the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist and a navy logistics officer, is due in

September, but that -- and the concerns of friends and family -- has not stopped her. Not yet, any way.

Her bubbly personality belies what she calls a “stubborn” streak. She kept training through morning sickness and a rapidly expanding belly, and with the Games opening on Friday, she is just days away from her dream.

“Most people said I was crazy and selfish because they think I am jeopardising my baby’s health,” said the 29-year-old, who is expecting for the first time.

“My husband said grab it as this is a rare chance which may not come again. Also, I am the mother. I know what I can do. I am a stubborn person.”

Nur Suryani is not the first expectant mother to compete in the Olympic Games.

But at nearly eight months, the 10-metre air rifle competitor will surely be one of the most heavily pregnant Olympians in history. And she will smash the record books if she wins gold -- Malaysia has never taken an Olympic crown.

Readying for a recent training session, she squeezed her bulging abdomen into the heavy body suit and jacket worn by competitors to aid stability before shouldering her rifle.

Standing as still as a statue, Nur Suryani takes a deep breath before each shot, puts the target in her sights and squeezes the trigger.

She no longer suffers from morning sickness, but shooting requires an extremely steady hand and body, so much so that many shooters time their shots between heartbeats, when the body is most stable.

A key concern therefore will be whether her unborn child -- a girl whom she will name Dayana Widyan -- kicks at the wrong time.

“I am able to shoot as normal. But a kick from the

baby stops me from pulling the trigger,” she said.

She recites verses from the Koran -- Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country -- to calm the unborn girl, she said.

“Every morning I talk to her and I say: ‘Mummy is going for training.

Please remain calm. Don’t kick.’ But she was naughty this morning,” she said, bursting into laughter.

But the confident Malaysian, who won Asian Games bronze in 2010 and is ranked 47th in the world, insists she is as fit as ever and that her scores have remained consistent in training even as her pregnancy has advanced.

She has adjusted her stance slightly to accommodate the physical changes and says that the extra weight actually has the added benefit of increasing stability.

“But if the baby kicks I have to breathe easy and let the baby calm down before shooting,” she said.

Nur Suryani’s husband Marhazli Mohtar, a police officer, will accompany her to London to help settle her nerves -- and in case the baby arrives prematurely.

“I just want to perform my best at the Games. If gold comes, thanks to God and my baby. Who knows? Miracles can happen,” she said.

Amitabh Bachchan to carry Olympic torch in London “Clarifying the report on the Olympics track I am composing... It’s a track in Punjabi celebrating the Indian influence in the UK. It’s a part of a medley in the Olympics opening ceremony, according to Danny Boyle’s creative wishes!,” Rahman had written on his Facebook page.

Illaiyaraaja’s song is also set to feature in the medley of music tracks to be used in the inaugural programme.

COMMENT

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 July 2012

31

Olympic False Flag or Total Diversion?

By now you have heard the speculation regarding the possible false flag event at the London Olympics. You have also likely seen the Illuminati Card Game card referencing the attack.

Most postulate that the attack is motivated by a desire to “clamp down on us further.” I’m not convinced about this though as the “clamping down” is occurring almost daily without any such draconian measures needed. Therefore, allow me to offer another possible motive….but to do so I need to remind you of a few pre911 events.

1. Gold and silver bullion were removed from the World Trade Center vaults prior to the 911 attack….although amounts, values, & ownership have never been confirmed as far as I can tell.

2. Just weeks prior to the 911 attacks, Larry Silverstein took out $3.55 billion dollar insurance policy on the WTC which included terrorist attack provisions….although in fairness, not having sufficient insurance on such a large purchase, and not having “terrorist coverage” (after the 1993 WTC attacks) would have been imprudent and irresponsible.

3. Irregular short selling of stocks (in particular airline stocks) took place prior to 911.

The point of the above is to highlight that financial losses were minimized and some amazingly “prescient” speculative trades were rewarded as the result of 911.

Moving forward to today….what do we know for certain?

1. Last week the venerable 137-yearold London Metal Exchange was sold for $2.19 billion to the Chinese statecontrolled Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEx). The price was 134 times earnings (!)—a stunning number—but the purchase gives

China insight into metals markets it never would have had otherwise.

2. London is the center of the physical gold world (not New York). The London Bullion Market is the biggest over the counter wholesale physical gold market the world….by far.

3. There are increasing complaints from investors that they cannot get their “allocated gold” delivered to them. (Remember, allocated gold is gold set aside by serial number, in a vault, in your name. It is not “unallocated” or “pooled” gold.)

4. Those who have gotten delivery of their allocated gold…usually after threat of legal action…say the bars they are receiving are not the bars they were told they had.

5. The LIBOR (London Inter-Bank Offer Rate) scandal affected trillions of dollars in the financial markets.

Manipulation meant winning trades became losers and vice versa.

Legal recourse measures are just beginning.

6. Stay with me on this one…..London Olympic Opening Ceremony Artistic Director Danny Boyle labeled the ceremony a reflection of “our green and pleasant land”—a reference to the song “Jerusalem” —-famously sung in the movies Chariots of Fire and also sung at Prince William’s wedding. The song uses the words of William Blake’s poem, which suggests the new Jerusalem would be in England. This fact will make sense in the bigger picture later in this email.

What we can only speculate on: 1. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that large amounts (i.e. tons) of gold have moved from London to China and other points east.

2. There are rumors that “allocated gold” has been used to satisfy bigger (government) transfers and

is therefore no longer available for delivery to the rightful owners.

3. The LIBOR scandal is so farreaching it is impossible to estimate the damages to the banks involved.

What would a catastrophic “terrorist attack” (say a lowlevel nuclear blast in the London Underground (subway)) accomplish?

1. The theft of the allocated gold would be covered up. “We’re sorry, all that stored gold we had for you was destroyed in the blast.”

2. The LIBOR scandal goes away (all

(minus japan) received the gold prior to the attack. Gold & silver would soar, blunting their financial pain, but not erasing it.

5. “Lock down” would occur for citizens in the US (and many western nations). The legal framework is already in place. The power-elite would maintain (and tighten) their grip.

6. Obama’s election chances would soar as “why change leaders during a crisis” mentality would set in.

7. War will likely follow…but not immediately. Do we use the attacks

records destroyed)…. along with the current London Banking system. A new system will arise with the same leadership at the top.

3. The pound sterling would fall like a stone and the dollar would suffers collateral damage since the LondonNew York-Washington nexus is so tight. Worldwide markets would roil. Banks close. All economic woes would then be attributed to the attack and “devaluations and write-downs” would be “justifiable” emergency measures. The loss of wealth would be massive….especially to everyone except the uber-wealthy.

4. British and US debt holders (Japan, China, Middle East) seem like the losers—except that they

to strike Iran? Or, do other countries make the connections and realize the magnitude of the theft, deceit, aggression, evil of the false flag attack? Do they (China? Russia?

Germany? Others?) decide to take a stand and attack the US? Dump the dollar? Isolate and contain us economically?

What would expect prior to the attack?

1. Gold would move down (!) or sideways…..movements up would bring too much later attention.

2. The stock market would go up or sideways…..same reason.

3. You might see big institutions going long and reducing their short precious metals positions….

The curious case of the woman who thinks sex slaves Continued from page 28 >> to

celebrate Valentine’s day in Saudi Arabia; sex and love should not mix when it comes to Sharia.

I think Ms. Mutairi has unintentionally solved the problem of Islamic terrorism since Muslim men with all these sexual slaves from Chechnia will no longer be interested in dying in order to get Allah’s prize of 72 virgins in heaven. But Mutairi, wait, that might end jihad all together and if jihad ends than the acquisition of female slaves will end. That will create a shortage of slave girls for the jihadists! Well that problem can be solved later, who cares about shortages in the future.

Mutairi’s husband wants his slave and he wants them now!

On a more serious note, looking at a woman like Mutairi we are reminded of the deranged wives of the kidnappers of Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard. The reason such abductors succeeded and went undetected for many years was because of their mentally sick wives who were willing enablers and who posed as mothers to those poor girls.

Mutairi represents the worst in women: she sells her soul and her fellow women in order to get respect and attention in a Muslim world that has no mercy or respect for her.

What is being advocated here is nothing new to Islam; it is just legalizing what has already been happening to Christian girls in Egypt, Sudan and across the Middle East. Christian girls are abducted, force-married to Muslim men and then they are discarded like trash after they have a couple of kids and announce they are Muslim. These girls are then no longer allowed to go back to Christianity under Egyptian law and the kids become Muslims and the property of the father.

Never for a moment think that Mutairi is just a Kuwaiti crazed woman; I believe Islamists are testing the water to familiarize Muslim society with religious rights that they feel should come back. The moral decadence advocated by Sharia lovers is reaching a new low daily. I am appalled at the lack of mercy, inhumanity and cruelty I read about in Arab media daily. Respect for human rights or peace was never a value advocated in the Muslim world, which is now protesting for freedom and democracy. With Sharia ethics and values the Muslim world will never have peace, freedom or democracy.

I am sad at the state of Islam and sad for Muslims, but they will reap what they sow.

Nonie Darwish is the author “Cruel and usual Punishment”

something that is happening now.

4. The “safety” of bonds would be the prevailing thought.

5. Rising tensions in “terrorist” countries would provide possible perpetrators/motives….something happening now.

6. Many leaders would send surrogates to the ceremonies rather than attending personally…. especially from important countries…or they would leave immediately following the ceremony.

So why the reference to Jerusalem?

1. The Olympic opening ceremonies begin on the evening of Friday, 27 July (right after the markets in the US close and with the European and Asian markets having closed hours earlier). The ceremonies end in the early morning of 28 July…or the 9th of Av in the Jewish calendar…. although the 9th doesn’t officially start until sundown.

2. The 9th of Av (as you know) is the day Solomon’s Temple was destroyed in 586 BC. It is the day the second Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. It is also the day of the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492. It is a day of mourning.

3. On the “illuminati card” the time on the clock that is falling is 11:11. 1-1-1-1. Day one, one hour, one minute, one second into the ceremony?

4. Or, since the 9th of Av doesn’t officially start until sundown on the 28th, does the attack come (in Blake’s new Jerusalem) one day later when all the dignitaries are gone?

Steve, I know this is “way out there.”

I have had no visions from God. I’m just connecting dots and trying to recognize patterns from previous events. I have debated whether to send this to you. I don’t even know what you would do with it. But I think you’re supposed to have it.

Your Brother in Christ,

Greg

It Takes a Village, and Some…

The Recent Attacks Against Israelis

Continued from page 27 >>

Entebbe – Another Hidden Story The 1976 Operation Entebbe was a great tribute to Israeli courage and praise of Israeli commandos of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who rescued Israeli citizens at Entebbe airport in Uganda.

But newly released British government documents reveal that the 1976 rescue of hostages, kidnapped on an Air France flight and held in Entebbe was a false flag operation – the file claims that Israel itself was behind the hijacking.

This “rescue operation” which became known as “operation Jonathan” in honor of the unit’s leader – Yonatan Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister’s brother. Yonatan was killed in the false flag operation – as were four other Israelis.

When it comes to Israel’s political agenda, no sacrifice is too great. A move against Iran will reverberate throughout the world.

It is important for political leaders around the globe to understand that it may take a village to implement a political agenda, but it is up to them to make sure that the agenda does not destroy the global village.

Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich is a Public Diplomacy Scholar, independent researcher and blogger with a focus on U.S. foreign policy and the role of lobby groups.

32

South Asia Tribune I Thursday 26 July 2012

London 2012 Olympics: pregnant Malaysian shooter Nur Suryani Mohamad Taibi aiming for historic gold Continued on page 30 >>

SAT

Sports

Amir Khan regrets turning professional early Britain’s Amir Khan on Tuesday said he would have waited before turning professional if he’d known London would host the Olympic Games this year.

Khan, who launched his professional career after winning lightweight silver at Athens 2004, said he was a “little bit jealous” of the boxers fighting in London.

“Yeah, 100 percent I miss it. If I had known in 2004 that the Olympics would be in England, I’m still 25, I could have waited (to turn professional) because that’s how much the Olympics means to me,” he said.

“I’m a little bit jealous of the Olympians because I can’t be a part of it,” added Khan,

who suffered a heavy defeat to America’s Danny Garcia this month in Las Vegas.

“I would swap everything for the Olympic Games. It’s the Olympics that made me, so I will never forget that. And to be at the Olympics in London, that’s even bigger, so yeah, I’d swap anything to be in this position.”

Amitabh Bachchan to carry Olympic torch in London

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan will carry the London Olympic torch here on Thursday, a day before the opening ceremony of the Games.

The actor will be part of the relay team which will carry the torch.

Bachchan, 69, tweeted that he

would be carrying the Torch in London tomorrow at 10.30am.

“OK !! HERE IT IS : Have been invited by London Olympic Organizing Committee to carry the torch in the relay tomorrow ...,” Bachchan tweeted.

“Honored to be asked to carry the Olympic Torch in London at Southwark around 10:30 AM !! A proud moment for me and country,” he added.

Bachchan is not the only celebrity to lend the Indian touch to the mega gaming event. Indian music maestro A R Rahman has teamed up with his ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ director Danny Boyle to compose a track for the inaugural event.

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