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South Asia
A former ofcial from within the ranks of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is reporting that US and NATO forces have landed outside of Syria and are training militants to overthrow the regime of President Bashar alAssad. Whistleblower Sibel Edmonds, formerly a translator with the FBI, wrote over the weekend that American soldiers are among
the NATO troops that have mysteriously and suddenly landed on the Jordanian and Syrian border. According to her, several sources internationally have conrmed the news, although the US media has been instructed to temporarily censor itself from reporting the news. Additionally, Edmonds says that American and NATO forces are training Turkish troops
as well, to possibly launch a strike from the north of Syria. Edmonds writes that an Iraqi journalist based out of London has conrmed that US forces that vacated the Ain al-Assad Air Base in Iraq last week did in fact leave the country as part of President Obamas drawdown of troops, but rather than return home, the soldiers were Continued on page 2 >>
Day 2 of Shrien Dewanis High Court appeal against his extradition order saw lawyers for South Africa face a grilling from the judges. They wanted to know about the alleged honeymoon murderers treatment for his mental illnesses should he be
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Continued from page 01 >> transferred into Jordan during the late hours of Thursday evening. Another source, writes Edmonds, informs her that soldiers who speak languages other than Arabic have been moving through Jordan mere miles from the countrys border with Syria. Troops believed to be NATO/American-afliated have been spotted between the King Hussein Air Base in al-Mafraq and the Jordanian village of Albaej and its vicinity. Nizar Nayouf, a correspondent for Edmonds Boiling Frog Post whistleblower site, says an employee of the London-based ofces of Royal Jordanian Airlines has further conrmed that at least one US aircraft transporting military personnel has brought American troops into Jordan in recent days. Nayouf, the former editor-inchief of Sawt al-Democratiyya (Democracys Vote), had previously been sentenced to a decade behind
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US troops surround Syria on Dewanis lawyers argue the eve of invasion? health risks if extradited
bars for critiquing the Syrian government. He later won several human rights awards and the 2000 UNISCO prize for press freedom. Since the uprising of rebel forces opposing al-Assads regime over Syria nearly a year ago, American ofcials have been critical of the countrys government but insist that they have otherwise distanced themselves from becoming involved in the protests. Following the deaths of dozens of protesters in the spring of 2011, the United States imposed strict sanctions against the ofcial government of Syria. Navi Pillay, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, revealed this week that the uprising in Syria has caused over 5,000 deaths since it began in early 2011. In the case of the crackdown against former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddas regime, NATO involvement began only one month into the uprising. Nine months later, the total death toll of the Libyan Civil War is estimated to be close to 30,000. In her report, Edmonds says that NATO troops have been training soldiers just outside of Syria since as early as May, and that US media is prohibited from reporting on it until today. The Turkish paper Milliyet also reports that defected Syrian colonel Riad al-Assad is preparing troops to take over the Syrian government as well. Mean while According to rst-hand accounts and reports provided by several sources in Jordan, during the last few hours on Wednesday foreign military groups, estimated at hundreds of individuals, began to spread near the villages of the north-Jordan city of Al-Mafraq, which is adjacent to the Jordanian and Syrian border. According to one Jordanian military ofcer who asked to remain anonymous, hundreds of soldiers who speak languages other than Arabic were seen during the past two days in those areas moving back and forth in military vehicles between the King Hussein Air Base of al-Mafraq (10 km from the Syrian border), and the vicinity of Jordanian villages adjacent to the Syrian border, such as village Albaej (5 km from the border), the area around the dam of Sarhan, the villages of Zubaydiah and alNahdah adjacent to the Syrian border. Continued from page 01 >> the quality of care. The judges heard Dewani would be detained in the Valkenberg secure mental health facility with access to a private psychiatrist. One of the judges wondered if the Dewani family could afford such care. Legal experts agree mental health issues are a serious complication to extraditions. The appeal appears to hinge on the state of Shrien Dewanis mental health. The judges will hear more evidence on that on Friday, that will be a closed hearing. The health and life of British businessman Shrien Dewani will be at risk if he is extradited to South Africa to face allegations of masterminding the murder of his bride during their honeymoon, the London High Court was told on Tuesday. The Press Association reports that care home owner Dewani, from Bristol, who denies any wrongdoing, is accused of arranging the contract killing of his wife Anni in Cape Town in November last year. Britains home secretary Theresa May signed an order for his extradition after District Judge Howard Riddle ruled at Belmarsh Magistrates Court in south-east London in August that Dewani (31) should be sent back to South Africa to stand trial. On Tuesday, Clare Montgomery QC, appearing for Dewani, asked two judges to block the extradition order on the grounds that his mental health had deteriorated to the point where he was too ill to be extradited and was a suicide risk. As family members looked on, Montgomery also argued he was at serious risk of violence if kept in custody in South Africa, including sexual violence, at the hands of other prisoners. Anni Dewani (28) from Sweden, was shot when a taxi the couple were travelling in was hijacked in Gugulethu. She was found dead in the back of the abandoned vehicle with a bullet wound to her neck after taxi driver Zola Tongo drove the newlyweds to the township. Driven away and shot He and Shrien Dewani were ejected by the hijackers before Anni Dewani was driven away and shot. Tongo, who has admitted his part in the crime, claimed in a plea agreement with prosecutors that Dewani ordered the carjacking and paid for a hit on his wife. Dewani, who has been diagnosed with severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and severe depression, was not at Tuesdays hearing. Montgomery argued he was so ill that he would be incapable of giving instructions to his lawyers or following trial proceedings and extradition should be delayed until he had recovered. The QC told Sir John Thomas, president of the Queens Bench Division and Mr Justice Ouseley, that the businessman had always wished for a fair trial. However that is, at the moment, on the advice we have been given by those who are treating him, not possible. His illnesses had begun to develop shortly after the murder of his wife and before he was accused of her murder. In April this year he was sectioned under the 1983 Mental Health Act to a psychiatric unit for his own protection and last month was re-sectioned for a further six months following a deterioration in his condition. All the doctors who had examined him, including the expert instructed by the South African government, agreed that he was suffering from PTSD and depression, said Montgomery. In a hearing expected to last two days, she asked the high court to discharge the extradition order, or adjourn its implementation. She argued that District Judge Riddle had fallen into error when he accepted South African assurances that Shrien Dewanis life and health would not be endangered if he was sent back to South Africa. Limited assurances She argued the limited assurances that were given were incapable of fullment. Montgomery told the court Judge Riddle should have ordered Dewanis discharge under section 91 of the Extradition Act 2003 on the grounds that sending him back would manifestly endanger his health or risk his life. Tuesdays application is being opposed by the South African government. Written statements before the court from Shrien Dewanis legal team say that his illnesses cannot be treated with anti-depressant medication because he suffers from a life-threatening drug reaction. His recovery is likely to be slow and unpredictable. They state he is being visually checked every 15-20 minutes at his psychiatric unit because he is a high suicide risk. Montgomery told the judges that the risk would increase to an unacceptable level if he was extradited. The suicide management capacity of the South African prison system was inadequate, as had been admitted by the prisons inspector, she contended. Experts also agreed that there was no evidence that the psychiatric hospital available to care for him could adequately treat his complex illnesses. Extradition would be incompatible with articles 2 and 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protect the right to life and prohibit inhuman and degrading treatment. Montgomery said explicit public hostility towards him had been fanned by the South African police and prosecutors, and the authorities would not be able to provide sufcient protection. Excellent job Judge Riddle had wrongly relied on
NEWS
David Cameron:
a better deal for Britain. The clash came in the nal session of Prime Ministers Questions before Christmas, at which Mr Cameron was anked on the Government frontbench by his Lib Dem deputy Nick Clegg. Labour MPs mocked Mr Clegg for exposing coalition rifts over Europe by staying away from the chamber on Monday for the Prime Ministers statement on the Brussels summit. Mr Miliband, who welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister back to his seat, said that Mr Cameron had promised the coalition Government would operate in a collegiate way, and asked: Whats gone wrong?
At Prime Ministers Questions Mr Cameron was accused of making a catastrophic mistake by Labour leader Ed Miliband, who urged him to re-enter negotiations with the other 26 EU states to try to get a better deal for Britain. The clash came in the nal session before Christmas, at which Mr Cameron was anked on the Government frontbench by his Liberal Democrat deputy Nick Clegg. Labour MPs mocked Mr Clegg for exposing coalition rifts over Europe by staying away from the chamber on Monday for the Prime Ministers statement on the Brussels summit. Mr Miliband, who welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister back to his seat, said that Mr Cameron had promised the coalition Government would operate in
a collegiate way, and asked: Whats gone wrong? The blame game continues in Europe over who is responsible for the high-level split over a new EU scal agreement. UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage believes its time for the British to decide whether they want to stay in the EU. The British Prime Minister David Cameron, who slapped a rm no on the deal, said it lacked sufcient nancial safeguards for the UK. However European Commission President, Jose Manuel Barroso, called the decision unfortunate and said Britain itself had made compromise impossible by making demands that threatened the entire single market. The United Kingdom in exchange for giving its agreement asked for a specic protocol on nancial services which as presented were a risk to the integrity of the internal market. This made compromise impossible, he told European lawmakers in Strasbourg on Tuesday. He also remarked that most countries tried hard to reach an accord of all 27 EU states. UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage told RT that British citizens may soon ask for a referendum to get out of the EU. The myth that the UK can be in Europe but not run by Europe has died after the Friday vote over the scal deal, he claimed. We now nd ourselves in a position where we are outvoted by 26 to 1. We are in a hopeless minority and yet we still have 75 per cent of our laws that run the United Kingdom made in these institutions. Cameron not wishing to do this has now opened up the real debate in the UK about our European future, he said.
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New York Times: The decision has left Britain as isolated as it has ever been in postwar Europe and effectively left out of future European decisions, write Sarah Lyall and Julia Werdigier. They add, however, that there was widespread confusion over what this all actually means. Guardian: I do not hear the sound of champagne corks or celebration among British Eurosceptics, writes Michael White. Beware of what you wish for, is a wise saying. Who
It was why we joined in the rst place. Global Post: Britain will not be part of the negotiations dening the new scal union, setting the stage for a two-tier Europe. Britains opt-out is a monumental development for Europe, and a signicant defeat for Cameron, writes Michael Goldfarb. Germany, France, and Britain always found a way to nd a deal in the past, but this time there was no leeway to fudge and play politics with the solutions.
(London) marginalized. That was why they loaded the package with elements Britain could not accept. Downing Street ofcials are clear about what the French are up to, and why the Prime Minister had no choice but to say non. In a display of enormous political courage, David Cameron yesterday nally said no to the European elite vetoing plans for a treaty that included an EUwide tax on nancial transactions, which would have badly hobbled
credit for blocking an EU stitchup over the euro that would have damaged Britain. For once he had re in his belly. Now he must show he has more. Because, like Churchill, he faces a long war of attrition as 26 of the 27 EU nations go one way and we go another. - The Sun Says Yesterday French President Nicolas Sarkozy declined to shake the hand of David Cameron after he refused to accept a plan to give Brussels the power to levy an EU wide nancial transactions
negotiations has been admirable. - Express leader Europe has pushed us to the limits of our national interest, and beyond. In nally making that clear, the Prime Minister has done his country an invaluable service. - Telegraph leader The Prime Minister was left with no option but to exercise the British veto in Brussels - Times leader () Leaders in the FT (), Independent and Guardian are negative.
Iran summons Afghan ambassador over US drone intrusion Iran triumphantly displayed one of Americas most advanced intelligence-gathering aircraft on Thursday after a spy drone crashed on its territory, leading Russia and China to ask to inspect its technology. Images show Iranian military ofcials inspecting the RQ-170 Sentinel stealth aircraft which appears to be undamaged. US ofcials have acknowledged the loss of the unmanned plane, saying it had malfunctioned. However, Iranian ofcials say its forces electronically hijacked the drone and steered it to the ground. Iran will not return a US surveillance drone captured by its armed forces, a senior commander of the countrys elite Revolutionary Guard said Sunday.
Iran says it wont return secret CIA spy drone it claims it shot from the sky
Gen Hossein Salami, deputy head of the Guard, said in remarks broadcast on state television that the violation of Irans airspace by the US drone was a hostile act and warned of a bigger response. He did not elaborate on what Tehran might do. No one returns the symbol of aggression to the party that sought secret and vital intelligence
related to the national security of a country, Salami said. American ofcials have said that US intelligence assessments indicate that Iran neither shot the drone down, nor used electronic or cybertechnology to force it from the sky. They contend the drone malfunctioned. The ofcials had spoken anonymously in order to
discuss the classied program. Meanwhile Iran has summoned the Afghan ambassador to protest the violation of its airspace by a US surveillance drone that took off from neighboring Afghanistan. The ofcial IRNA news agency says Obeidollah Obeid was called to the Foreign Ministry to receive Irans protest and demand explanations from the Afghan government over the pilotless spy plane. Irans state TV broadcast video Thursday of Iranian military ofcials inspecting what it identied as the RQ-170 Sentinel drone, and offered the rst evidence that Tehran had captured the aircraft. The beige-colored drone appeared intact and undamaged. Iranian state radio has said the unmanned aircraft was detected over the eastern town of Kashmar, some 140 miles (225 kilometers) from the border with Afghanistan.
US ambassador Cameron Munter called on Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar on Friday and discussed current status of bilateral relations between Pakistan and the United States. The Foreign Minister said that relations between the two countries must be based on mutual respect. She added that the recent incidents had led to the re-evaluation of terms of engagement. The US Ambassador assured the Foreign Minister of an early conclusion of the investigation into the tragic incident on November 26 and to work together with the Government of Pakistan to normalize the relationship at the earliest.
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EDITORIAL
Who tipped off Iran to U.S. drone ight plan?
Its the same drone believed to have been used in the covert CIA operation to kill Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. Was the U.S. operation compromised by intelligence in Pakistan before it even began? Star Wars may have conceptualized the reconnaissance drone or droid but it may be U.S. bungling with these military automatons that may make them catalysts for the next World War. Iran exhibited the top-secret U.S. stealth drone RQ-170 Sentinel captured on Sunday, Dec. 4. Its almost perfect condition conrmed Tehrans claim that the UAV was downed by a cyber attack, meaning it was not shot down but brought in undamaged by an electronic warfare ambush. This is a major debacle for the stealth technology the U.S. uses in its warplanes and the drone technology developed by the U.S. and Israel. The state of the lost UAV refutes the U.S. military contention that the Sentinels systems malfunctioned. If this had happened, it would have crashed and either been wrecked or damaged. The condition of the RQ-170 intact obliges the U.S. and Israel to make major changes in plans for a potential strike against Irans nuclear program. The Obama administrations decision after internal debate not to send U.S. commando or air units into Iran to retrieve or destroy the secret RQ-170 stealth drone which fell into Iranian hands has strengthened the hands of the Israeli faction which argues the case for striking Irans nuclear installations without waiting for the Americans to make their move. Senior Israeli diplomatic and security ofcials who followed the discussion in Washington concluded that, by failing to act, the administration has left Iran not only with the secrets of the Sentinels stealth coating, its sensors and cameras, but also with the data stored in its computer cells on targets marked out by the U.S. and/or Israeli for attack. Like every clandestine weapons system, the RQ-170 had a self-destruct mechanism to prevent its secrets spilling out to the enemy in the event of a crash or capture. This did not happen. Tehran was able to claim the spy drone was only slightly damaged when they downed it. The NATO spokesman claimed control was lost of the U.S. UAV and it went missing, a common occurrence for these unmanned aircraft. The enigmas surrounding its capture continue to pile up. How did Iran know the drone had entered its airspace? How was it caused to land? Most of all, why did the crafts self-destruct mechanism which is programmed to activate automatically fail to work? And if it malfunctioned, why was it not activated by remote control? Thursday, Dec. 8, The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported that from Sunday, Dec. 4, when Tehran announced the stealth drones capture, the Obama administration weighed sending special commando forces into Iran from bases in Afghanistan to bring the downed aircraft back to Afghanistan or blow it up to destroy the almost intact secret systems either by a sneak operation or by an air strike. In the end, the paper quoted a U.S. ofcial as explaining that the attack option was ruled out because of the potential it could become a larger incident. If an assault team entered the country, the U.S. could be accused of an act of war by Tehran.
this was bad for Britain. I made it clear that it was untenable for me to welcome it. Now there is a danger that the UK will be isolated and marginalised within the EU. Nick Clegg, deputy prime minister He said Tories welcoming the outcome of the summit were spectacularly misguided. At prime ministers questions last Wednesday, Conservative backbenchers urged David Cameron to show bulldog spirit in Brussels. But Mr Clegg said today: Theres nothing bulldog about Britain hovering somewhere in the mid-Atlantic, not standing tall in Europe, not being taken seriously in Washington. He warned the UK was retreating further to the margins of Europe.
Read more: Will UK be left out in the cold? Not good for Britain Earlier, in todays Independent on Sunday, a source close to Mr Clegg said there had been a spectacular failure to deliver in the countrys interest at the Brussels summit. Nick certainly doesnt think this is a good deal for Britain, for British jobs or British growth, the source said. It leaves us isolated in Europe and that is not in our national interest. Nicks fear is that we become the lonely man of Europe. The source said Mr Clegg couldnt believe it when, on Friday morning, he was informed of the course of events and how Mr Cameron had sought to negotiate with fellow
a year are forced into marriage against their will. It is an appalling form of abuse and perceived cultural sensitivities should not stop us doing more to tackle it. She said the Home Ofce wanted to hear from victims of forced marriages and from charities and others supporting them on whether a specic new criminal offence
would help or hinder. The consultation paper says that many if not all the elements of forcing someone to marry against their will are already criminal offences, including kidnapping and abduction, false imprisonment, harassment and assault. It says that creating a specic offence of forced marriage could act as a deterrent, empower young
Leveson Inquiry:
NEWS
Three central players at the News of the World faced the Leveson Inquiry Monday and defended their methods From the going rates for a celebrity "kiss and tell", to buying child pornography to trap paedophiles, to the mechanics of a good old-fashioned Fleet Street sting, the dark arts of the tabloids were laid bare at the Leveson Inquiry yesterday by a trio of their most skilled practitioners.
Mazher Mahmood aka the Fake Sheikh Lord Leveson has begun proceedings explaining that Mazher Mahmood's face will not be broadcast "for good reason". Giving evidence in a courtroom that had been cleared of reporters and members of the public to ensure that the appearance of the high priest of the tabloid ambush would remain known to only a very few, Mr Mahmood insisted it was a fallacy that he had entrapped dozens from hapless royals to serious criminals using his elaborate subterfuges. The former NOTW investigator, who now works for the Sunday Times, said his 20year career at the former led to more than 260 "successful criminal prosecutions", including the recent convictions of Pakistani cricketers for match xing after the publication of a story which saw him named reporter of the year in industry awards. Mr Mahmood, speaking in clear, polished tones, said he always posed two questions when deciding if a story about a potential target was to be pursued: "Are they involved in criminality? Are they involved in moral wrongdoing?" The reporter, whose nickname originates
in his penchant for posing as a monied Arab to claim scalps including the Duchess of York, said the focus for many of his scoops, including the investigation of the model Sophie Anderton for drug dealing, was illegallity. He said: "It is annoying, this myth of entrapment. We don't entrap people." He added: "These are people who are predisposed to commit these crimes anyway. All I am doing is providing a snapshot of what they are doing." Mr Mahmood said he was proud that his work had led to the jailing of paedophiles, arms traders and drug dealers but added that this meant he had had to cross the line. "I have purchased child pornography, for example, which clearly is illegal, and that led to conviction. There are times when we cross the line but the overriding factor is the public interest." Mazher Mahmood has told the inquiry he does not think MPs have any right to privacy from investigative journalists. I dont think there should be if you hold public ofce you should be open to scrutiny, he said. But he went on to say that the mere fact of celebrity would not be justication for prying into their private life. Mazher Mahmood has denied ever hacking phones but said that he and his colleagues always suspected the News of The World newsdesk of orchestrating the criminal practice. Asked whether he was aware that phone hacking was going on at any time at the News of The World, he said: No I was not, the rst time I heard about it was after there was an arrest, referring to that of Clive Goodman.
the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, while working with fellow journalist Roger Insall, he rst used the Fake Sheikh disguise to entice prostitutes to a hotel room.
was responsible for reporting an alleged plot to kidnap Victoria Beckham to the police. The subsequent trial collapsed after it emerged that Mahmoods main informant, Florim Gashi had
NEWS
number of executions in Saudi Arabia this year. In September, Amnesty International called on the Muslim kingdom where 140 people were on death row to establish an immediate moratorium on executions.
The rights group said Saudi Arabia was one of a minority of states which voted against a UN General Assembly resolution last December calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions. Rape, murder, apostasy, armed
File Picture robbery and drug trafcking are all punishable by death under Saudi Arabias strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law. Amnesty International says Saudi Arabia executed 27 convicts in 2010, compared to 67 executions announced the year before.
p to 50,000 demonstrators gathered in Moscow on Saturday to protest against the disputed results of last weekends parliamentary election in a rare show of deance against Vladimir Putins 12-year rule. The current regime does not know how to behave with dignity, former cabinet member turned Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov said as the crowd gathered for the biggest Moscow opposition rally of the Putin era. All they know is cynicism, Nemtsov said in reference to the December 4 poll that handed Putins United Russia party a slim victory amid widespread reports of fraud and strong concern from both the European Union and Washington. Putin and (President Dmitry) Medvedev made a shocking discovery today, opposition veteran Sergei Mitrokhin of the liberal Yabloko party told a crowd that the opposition estimated at 50,000 or even more. Russia has people, said Mitrokhin as the mainly young protesters roared back: We are the people. Early police estimates put the Moscow turnout at 25,000 about one hour into the event. Another
10,000 had been counted by ofcials at a rally in Putins native city of Saint Petersburg. Putin Blames Clinton for Unrest Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday of instigating the public protests against the State Duma elections as tens of thousands signed up to rally over the weekend. But Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev made ambiguous remarks about the protesters themselves, conceding that they have the right to rally but calling on the police to crack down on those who break the law. Preparations were under way in Moscow for a new rally against the victory of Putins United Russia party on Saturday, with almost 30,000 signed up on Facebook on late Thursday. In what resembled an attempt to distance himself from the party, Putin also said his campaign staff for the presidential election in March would not be centered around United Russia but his All-Russia Peoples Front, and be headed by a prominent lm director, not a party boss. I looked at the rst reaction
of our American partners. The rst thing that the secretary of state did was characterize [the elections] as dishonest and unfair, Putin said at a meeting with the fronts council on Thursday. He said Clinton made her conclusions without reading reports from election monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and her words gave a signal to the Russian opposition. They heard this signal and started active work with the support of the U.S. Department of State, he said. Putin said protest organizers were pursuing selsh political goals, while most Russians did not want unrest. People in our country dont want the situation to develop like in Kyrgyzstan or Ukraine in the recent past. Nobody wants chaos, he said in reference
to the color revolutions that swept several former Soviet republics in the mid-2000s. Protests should not be obstructed as long as they are done within the law, and we need to have a dialog with those who are opposition-minded and let them speak out, Putin said. But police must stop any violations, he said. Some 6,000 to 17,000 people protested the elections on Monday and Tuesday in Moscow, and hundreds more took to the streets throughout the country. Up to 1,000 have been arrested in the capital alone. Preliminary results give United Russia 49.3 percent of the vote, but critics say up to half of that amount was gained through fraud, instances of which have been widely reported by individual observers and the countrys sole independent watchdog, Golos.
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what is their assessment of the Human Rights and Political situation in Saudi Arabia
Lord Ahmed of Rotherham asked Her Majestys Government what is their assessment of the Human Rights and Political situation in Saudi Arabia. My Lords, I would like to thank everyone taking part in this debate and very much look forward to hearing the front benchs contribution as well as the noble lord ministers response. On Saturday 10th December, we celebrated the 63rd Anniversary of universal human rights day, and a few days before we had also received the Amnesty International report on Saudi Arabia Repression in the name of security. There have been a number of reports from Human Rights Watch, Islamic Humans Rights Commission and others in relation to the crackdown and torture with impunity. My Lords I have great love and respect for the 27 million citizens of Saudi Arabia as well as the holy places in both Makkah and Medina. It is for this reason why I believe it is imperative for me to speak out against the oppressive dictatorial and brutal practices exercised by the regime, who interpret their tribal Bedouin culture into religious doctrines, in my view which is quite contrary to the Sharia and the practices of Islam. Over 1400 years ago the prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H, worked for a Noble lady called Kadeejah, who was an entrepreneur and a well respected business woman in Makkah. His daughter Fatima and his wife Ayesha may peace and blessing be upon them all participated fully in life with men at work, war, in community and in businesses. They expressed their views and opinions, even sometimes against the Khalifas (rulers) who were companions of the Prophets without fear of being prosecuted or locked up. Today women are not allowed to drive or vote, women remain subject to discrimination both in law and practice, women are not allowed to travel, engage in paid work, higher education or marry without the permission of a male guardian. I am sure that the Saudi authorities will say that women will be gaining their right to vote even though my Lords, there is no democracy or freedom in the country. The consultative Shura Council is still fully appointed by the King, and women gaining the right to vote will merely join their male counterparts in being able to elect only half of the local municipal seats, the other half of which are also appointed by the King. Women still do not have the same rights as men. 1400 years ago the prophet P.B.U.H said that no Arab is better than a non Arab and vice versa and yet in modern Saudi Arabia the practices of pre- Islam are rampant by treating white Europeans and Americans as more superior than Asian and African workers doing the over the last decade on security grounds, many of them held without charge or trial for years ; or tried and sentenced in secrecy without any means to challenge their detention. 63 years after the universal declaration of the Human rights and 1400 years after the last sermon of the prophet Muhammad PBUH, guaranteeing rights for men women children, minorities and the weak. It shocks me that there against the regime and anyone expressing concerns in relation to their right to be able to express freely without fear of prosecution, right to vote and right to live in accordance with their traditions. You may be aware that Amnesty International has expressed deep concerns in relation to a new anti terror law which has been formulated. Which will be used to silence discontent in the kingdom, for example it will be an act of terrorist crime if you are said to have harmed the reputation of the state or its position; questioning the integrity of the king or the crown prince - would be punishable by a minimum of a 10 year imprisonment; holding a placard could result in a three year prison sentence Already people are tried and held in secret; people are sent to prison for reeducation or positive brainwash torture and other ill-treatment remain rife, confessions are forced out of detainees using beatings and electric shocks and other forms of torture. My Lords I am fully aware that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has more Oil than any other country and we depend on oil. I am fully aware of their nancial and political inuence in the West and I have occasionally been told by colleagues about our interest but in my view the principle of defending human rights is and will remain at the very highest level than any other issue. The Saudi authorities claim that they are now the Arab Moderate camp and should be supported by the west without much reform or changes to their way of governance, just because they claim that they provide consistency and security in the region. But my Lords we have supported the Tunisian people, rightly so , we have just spent over $200 million dollars as well as killing thousands of people in Libya to get rid of a Tyrant Muammar Gadda, we have supported the people of Egypt even though Hosni Mubarak was a safer bet, we are supporting the people of Syria because of the oppressive tactics of Bashar Al Assad and we must not stay silent in the abuses of human rights and lack of political rights in Saudi Arabia against the AlSaud family. Britain along with other Countries should stand up and support the human rights and equality movements which are our basic principles. Our values of defending civil, political, social and economic rights should be universal and one. Finally my Lords I would like to ask the Noble minister how many British citizens are held in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and what representation has Her Majestys Government made to the Saudi Authorities regarding this matter. Would he be prepared to support isolation of those countries that use torture with impunity? Will her majestys government support the following requests from Amnesty international which I support. Immediately release all prisoners of conscience, such as those held solely for the peaceful exercise of their rights to freedom of opinion, expression, peaceful assembly or association; end all arbitrary arrests and detentions; provide prompt and public trials meeting international standards of fairness without recourse to the death penalty to all detainees charged or held, including on suspicion of terrorismrelated offences, or else release them; investigate thoroughly and independently all allegations of torture and other ill-treatment and bring those found responsible to justice; My Lords its important that we ask for considerably amend the draft Penal Law for Terrorism Crimes and Financing of Terrorism and bring all of Saudi Arabias terrorism-related laws and practices into line with International human rights law and standards. I believe my Lords we have a duty to upholding the international law regardless of the perpetrators and their inuences in the western society. The people of the Middles east will say Britain has a double standard in relation to human rights if we remain silent over our friends actions. I believe that Saudi Arabia has an important role in the Muslim world and if we fail to encourage wide ranging reforms and respect for international norms, we will be failing in our long term duty in creating a peaceful world.
same job. They justify this by stating that people are paid in accordance with their national salaries in the place of their origin. Asian and African people are treated with pathetic low wages, and are held in overcrowded accommodation with little or no basic facilities. Even the hardworking cleaners of the holy places are paid less than 100 a month in the oil rich county of the world. Islam never practiced sheikdom and kingdom culture of the current Arab countries. It was based on democratic elections for candidates with ability to perform who had the best interest of society. Even Khalifas like Omer- , Usman and Ali were elected by the people with consensus According to the latest Amnesty international report, since March 2011 the Saudi Arabian authorities have launched a new wave of repression in the new name of security. They have cracked down on demonstrations, protesting against human rights violations and calling for reforms. The numbers of people arrested are reported from 10,000 to 30,000. According to the Islamic Human Rights Commission there are more political prisoners in Saudi Arabia today than the USSR in its height. The Saudi authorities actions are a cause of concern for all as they are a breach of basic human rights. Thousands of People have been detained
are thousands of political prisoners held in Saudi Arabia without being charged or convicted. One of those is an Islamic scholar who was detained because he criticised the ministry for the interiors handling of the detainees. According to the Human Rights Watch Dr Yusuf bin Abdullah Al-Ahmad was detained without charge the day after he published his criticism apparently as a direct result of his internet post. The Islamic teacher who is a Sunni and teaches at Imam Muhammad Bin Saud University in Riyadh, also criticised the arrest of women who went to the ministry on 2nd July and on previous occasions to protest peacefully against the long term detention of their relatives. There are many illegal imprisonments including British citizens like Abdul Hakim Gilani, who was recently realised from prison due to the campaign run by Al Karama a human rights organisation after 6 years of terrible ordeal due to his political beliefs. Political prisoners include Human rights activist, Lawyers, political parties, religious scholars, bloggers and individual protesters. My Lords, I can list many names which are all available on the internet and have been circulated by the human rights organisations to expose the reign of terror in Saudi Arabia. Since 2001 abusive counter terrorism methods have been used against political opponents
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and Arab ears either and in recent years, the noise level is straining
U.S. Republican presidential candidate differs with ofcial U.S. policy that respects the Palestinians as a people deserving of their own state based on negotiations with Israel. The former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives predictably sided with Israel in its decades-old dispute with the Palestinians but took it a step further in an interview with the Jewish Channel. Remember, there was no Palestine as a state. It was part of the Ottoman Empire until the early 20th century, Gingrich said. I think that weve had an invented Palestinian people who are in fact Arabs, and who were historically part of the Arab community. Gingrich sharply criticized the Obama administrations approach to Middle East diplomacy, saying it is so out of touch with reality that it would be like taking your child to the zoo and explaining that a lion was a bunny rabbit.
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Pakistans Prime Minister Yousef Raza Gilani has said his country does not trust the United States, and the feeling is mutual. He told the BBC it could be weeks before a blockade of Nato convoys carrying supplies to Afghanistan is lifted, following two US air strikes which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on the Afghan border last month. Mr Gilani said it was vital to improve the relationship. We are working together and still we dont trust each other... we should have more condence in each other, he said. Pakistan may continue its blocking of Nato convoys into Afghanistan for several weeks, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has told the BBC. Pakistan stopped the convoys in protest at US air strikes which killed 24 of its troops at two checkpoints
international
Pakistan-US relationship
Thursday, 15.12.11
US promised India help We do not trust if China attacked during each other 1971 Indo-Pak war
on the Afghan border last month. Mr Gilani refused to rule out closing Pakistans airspace to the US. Asked about the state of health of Mr Zardari, Mr Gilani denied that the president had written a letter of resignation, as claimed by a source in Dubai.
NEW DELHI, December 14 : Despite its intense animosity towards India during the 1971 war, the US promised New Delhi all out support in case China carried out any unprovoked attack on India, recently declassied documents reveal 40 years after the historic war that created Bangladesh, Indian media reported on Wednesday. The revelations add fresh twist to the narrative of the Indo-Pak war of 1971. Based on a set of freshly declassied documents of Indian ministry of external affairs, Times of India had in early November reported that the US hostility towards India during the 1971 war was far beyond what was publicly known. And that the US had probably also prepared a few Marine battalions for operations against the Indian military. Communications of the Indian embassy in Washington and of the government in New Delhi show that US offered all out help if China were to enter the Indo-Pak standoff to favour its allweather friend. After a meeting with Henry Kissinger, then adviser to President Richard Nixon, on August 25, 1971, Indian ambassador to the US L K Jha reported to New Delhi, He said that in a 1962 type of situation, US will not hesitate to give all out help to India against China, and there is no change of position on this. Kissinger was referring to the military conict between India and China in 1962
in which India was humiliated. A few weeks before this meeting, during a visit to New Delhi, Kissinger told then defence minister Jagjivan Ram, I might tell you that we would take a very grave view of any Chinese move against India. Ambassador Jha had spent three hours with Kissinger in San Clemente White House, the vacation home of Nixon, on August 25, as tension mounted in South Asia. They discussed details of issues that could crop up in an upcoming meeting between then PM Indira Gandhi and Nixon. But in this one (letter to foreign secretary T N Kaul), I am dealing with one specic point relating to the US attitude in the event of China joining on the side of Pakistan in a conict with us, the ambassador wrote. Discussions with Kissinger on possible Chinese aggression were prompted Continued on page 10 >>
Why should he write? asked Mr Gilani. He has the backing and support of the entire parliament. Dismissing speculation about a quiet Continued on page 27 >>
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Bangladesh tops South Gilani, Naik vow to scuttle moves to destabilise democracy Asia in taxation services
The prime minister, during the meeting, said that the political opponents who were playing to the gallery would not get political mileage they were hoping for. Acting President Farooq H. Naik met Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani at the Prime Minister House on Tuesday and discussed with him the prevailing situation in the country. The prime minister said that democracy and its dynamics were strong enough to withstand the pressures unleashed by those who did not believe in democratic ways and rather preferred backdoor channels. The prime minister said that memo case was launched by the man who was a foreign national and whose track record was well known because Bangladesh ranks rst among the South-Asian countries in taxation services and 12th among the 19 AsiaPacic countries, according to a latest study report. A report on Good Governance for International Business Asia Pacic 2011 revealed the ndings. Singapore-based corporate advisory rm, Vriens & Partners PTE LTD, unveiled the study. Taxation assesses the tax environment in terms of the administrative transparency and efciency in tax collection, along with local taxation rates -- particularly the corporate tax rate, the report said. The rm has collected information from World Bank, International Finance Corporation (IFC) and business executives of Asia-Pacic countries for its study. The report has followed six pillars to assess 19 Asia-pacic countries. The indicators are -- rule of law, openness to international trade & business,
he had been engaged in maligning the state institutions of Pakistan in the past through media. The acting president shared the observations of the prime minister and said that the present democratic government was strong and would face no difculty in scuttling the
moves orchestrated by those who are known as believers in the political shenanigan. But people of Pakistan are sensible and understand their tactics and would certainly support democracy as way of their political life, the acting president said.
political stability, taxation and corruption, The 19 countries are: Bangladesh, Myanmar Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Cambodia and Laos. Among the 19 countries, Bangladesh ranked eighth on rule of law, 17th on openness to international trade & business, 18th on political stability and corruption and 16th on scal & monetary administration. Bangladesh scored 37.3 and its overall rank is 18th while Singapore ranked rst scoring 90.2. Myanmar is in the last position with 30.1 score. Among the South-Asian countries, Bangladesh ranked rst on taxation pillar while India second and Sri Lanka third. The report has appreciated the taxation part of Bangladesh in its study.
A new genetics study has found that more than 50 per cent of the South Asian populations have Indian ancestry. The study, conducted by scientists of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in collaboration with the University of Tartu, Estonia, the Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Chennai and Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, has been
published in the prestigious American Journal of Human Genetics. Led by Dr. Kumarasamy Thangaraj of CCMB, it found that South Asia harbours two major ancestry components, one of which is spread at comparable frequency and genetic diversity in populations of South and West Asia, Middle East, Near East and the Caucasus; the other component is more restricted to
South Asia. Both the ancestry components that dominate genetic variation in South Asia demonstrate much greater genetic diversity than those that predominate in West Eurasia. The genetic afnities of both the ancestry components are incompatible with substantial gene ow into the region during Max Muellers purported IndoAryan invasion 3,500 years ago.
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relationship with Pakistan complicates an already difcult war just as the Obama administration is trying to boast of security gains across broad swaths of the country. I think 2011 will make a turning point with regards to the effort in Afghanistan, Panetta told reporters traveling with him to Kabul. He
cited lower levels of violence and the successful turnover of portions of the country to Afghan control. Clearly I think Afghanistan is on a much better track in terms of our ability to eventually transition to an Afghanistan that can govern and secure itself. Panetta said he has been reassured by Marine Gen. John Allen, the top overall commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan, that military operations are continuing along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. He said Allen has reached out to Pakistani commanders to try to rebuild relations and cross-border communications that are vital in the rugged, mountainous region. I think its been said a number of times, said Panetta. Ultimately we cant win the war in Afghanistan without being able to win in our relationship with Pakistan as well. Panetta was also likely to hear more about Allens plans to take forces from the south, where the US hopes Afghan forces can cling to security gains made in the past year, and send them to the east to try and reverse
The blunt assessment of a security situation balanced on a knife edge is in a document seen by The Independent, and it comes as Barack Obama and David Cameron face intense pressure to bring troops home as quickly as possible from the decade-long war. Any large-scale withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan would help the enemy and undermine gains, according to a condential US military report. The drawdown should instead, the report says, be avoided until as late as possible before the 2014 deadline for an end of the combat operations. The study highlights the need for about 2,000 more battlehardened veterans to be brought for deployment alongside Afghan forces. Although providing the
reinforcements is a decision for the US Central Command, the British military, with its extensive experience of serving in Helmand, is likely to receive a request for help. Yesterday, the UKs National Security Council (NSC) met to consider the scale and pace of the British pullout, with some ministers in the Coalition Government apparently demanding that the size of the 9,500-strong contingent be cut by almost a half in the next 18 months. Senior commanders, led by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, have stressed that too precipitous a withdrawal could rebound, undermining the exit strategy. The NSC recommendations will be sent to Downing Street. A senior British general said: We hope the
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Mahmud Adnan passed a similar order after refusing their bail petition in the other case led with Ramna Police Station.
The accused are Dhaka city unit Jamaat Nayebe-Ameer Prof AKM Nazir Ahmad, lawmaker Hamidur Rahman Azad, executive members--
Lawmakers slammed Rab copters to ght PM returns after for keeping mum crime, militancy 2-nation tour
The government has procured two copters for Rapid Action Battalion so the force can perform better in ghting crime and militancy. This is the rst time a Bangladeshi law enforcement agency is getting choppers of its own. Commander M Sohail, director of Rabs legal and media wing, said the police authorities signed a contract with Bell Helicopter Asia (Pvt) Ltd on June 23 for purchase of two Bell407 single engine helicopters. Bought for Tk 57 crore, the copters are now being assembled in Singapore and may be delivered two to three months ahead of the deadline, which is December 2012. Each of the copters can carry seven people including its pilot and copilot, and y for three hours at a stretch after being fuelled once. The manufacturer gave two-and-a half-year warranty on most of the
Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain has blasted lawmakers for keeping mum in parliament during the passage of the bill splitting Dhaka City Corporation into two and amendment to the constitution scrapping the caretaker government system. Dr Kamal Hossain blasted lawmakers for keeping mum in parliament during the passage of the bill splitting Dhaka City Corporation
into two and amendment to the constitution scrapping the caretaker government system and retaining Islam as state religion. Dr Kamal, one of the framers of the countrys constitution, came down heavily on the two major political parties -- ruling Awami League and oppsition BNP-- for what he said was treating people as their subject although they are the owners of the country.
parts of the copters. A team of eight Rab personnel having aviation background will go to Singapore to receive training for about two months in operating the copters, Sohail said. Nazimuddin Chowdhury, joint secretary of the home ministry, said the air force will be in charge of operation, maintenance and safety of the aircraft. Rab sources said once they get the choppers, they will be able to use airways to carry out their job in coordination with ground forces. Earlier, their operation was restricted to land and water ways.
in the capital. He said even the government linked Tarique Rahman with a case which was led at least eight years ago. People are not fool. They understand everything. No conspiracy will be allowed to be implemented. Alamgir said the government knows that it (ruling party leaders) will even lose deposits
if a free and fair election is held and that is why the fteenth amendment has been brought to hold the next election under the present government. But no election will be held in the country without the caretaker government. Alamgir said ministers are involved in corruption though the prime minister is trying to save
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned home Friday afternoon wrapping up her ve-day ofcial visit to Indonesia and neighbouring Myanmar. A special ight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG-087) carrying the premier and members of her entourage landed at Shahjalal International Airport at 4:50pm. Deputy Leader of the House Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, the chiefs of three services and Dean of diplomatic corps and Ambassador of Palestine Shaher Mohammad received the PM at the airport. She left Dhaka on December 5 for Myanmar on a three-day ofcial visit. In her rst ever visit to Myanmar, she embarked on a new phase of bilateral ties with the next door neighbour. During the visit Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed to resolve the outstanding problems between the two countries including repatriation of the Rohingya refugees. They also agreed for enhancing cooperation in various elds including energy, trade and investment, and regional connectivity. In the second leg of her two-nation tour, the premier went to Indonesia on December 7 to attend the fourth annual meeting of the Bali Democracy Forum, a platform of the Asian countries, regarded as democratic or are aspiring to be more democratic. She co-chaired the Forum and delivered address on the theme Enhancing Democratic Participation in a Changing World: Responding to Democratic Voices.
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Elderly citizens ask to open Senior government doors for repatriation ofcials appointed
Senior Citizens Group and the Bhutanese Refugee Representative Repatriation Committee (BRRRC) asked the Government of Nepal and United Nations Organizations to press for opening doors for dignied repatriation. Observing the 63th World Democracy Day on Saturday, both the groups said the third country resettlement is not a permanent solution of the refugee imbroglio, and the concerned authority should exercise enough measures to repatriate exiled Bhutanese at the earliest. We are not against the resettlement. (L to R) Home Secretary, Dasho Penden Wangchuk as Cabinet Secretary, Cabinet Secretary, Dasho Tashi Phuntshog as Ambassador to Kuwait and Finance director general, Nima Wangdi His Majesty the king yesterday appointed three senior government ofcials. Finance director general, Nima Wangdi is the new health secretary.
However, this must go on the choice of individual refugee, told Dr Bhampa Rai, Chairperson of the BRRRC. According to Dr Rai, the international community and resettlement countries have major role in
convincing Bhutan to accept exiled Bhutanese back home with dignity and honour. He also informed the community that discussion to begin Satyagraha campaign from December 17 was underway.
The appointment comes ve months after the post went vacant following the voluntarily resignation of Dasho (Dr) Gado Tshering on moral grounds. Nima Wangdi, will join the health ministry on December 10. Its a technical ministry and being a non medical person, I see it as a big
Three reports published by International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) on December 4 coinciding with the Mountain Day in Durban, South Africa, provide latest information on status of climate change in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. It is the rst comprehensive account of glacier cover and pattern of snowfall in the region. The report titled The Status of Glaciers in the HKH Region says the glaciers appear to be shrinking in both the central and eastern Himalayas.
The glaciers in the Himalayas have shrunk by as much as a fth in the last 30 years. Country-specic studies have found that depletion of glacial area over the past 30 years was 22 percent in Bhutan and 21 percent in Nepal. The clean glaciers of the Tibetan plateau are retreating at a faster rate than those of the rugged central Himalayas, which have higher debris cover. The HKH region, which is home to 30 percent of the worlds glaciers, has more than 54,000 glaciers covering an area of 60,000 sq km.
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armys anti-insurgency operations, to the alleged Pakistan High Commission employee, Mohd Farooq. Raids at Dubeys house led to recovery of three cheque books, two of which belonged to Farooq and one to
Shamshad Hussain, another alleged Pakistan Embassy ofcial. Police in its search of Dubeys desk at Army Group Insurance Bhawan also recovered documents pertaining to new dialling system and AGI journal
In what promises to be a landmark rst step, the mutual fund industries of India and Pakistan have agreed to explore the possibility of promoting each other as investible asset classes in the two countries. This unanimity of views was arrived at after a group of top ofcials from Pakistans capital market met with top ofce bearers of the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), the fund industry trade body, here on Monday. The group from Pakistan is being led by Imtiaz Haider, commissioner , securities market division , Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), and is being coordinated by the South Asian Federation of Exchanges (SAFE). Over the next three days, the delegates from Pakistan are expected to
meet with top ofcials at Sebi, NSE, BSE, MCX and other market intermediaries. Haider said that he was encouraged to witness the spirit of cooperation between both the markets, which underscores the need for expanding them beyond the borders. This was the rst time leaders from the Pakistani capital market were directly engaging with their counterparts in India, and the objectives were to create common linkages between the two markets and also to build on the spirit of peace and harmony in South Asia . The Pakistan delegation also briefed AMFI ofcialsincluding H N Sinor, CEO, AMFI; Sandesh Kirkire, CEO, Kotak MF; and Sandeep Sikka, CEO, Reliance MF about the fund industry in Pakistan and the performance of the its markets.
After reports emerged of peace negotiations between the Pakistani Taliban and Pakistan government, the US said that they would not like to see recent gains made by the Pakistani military against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan to be lost. After reports emerged of peace negotiations between the Pakistani Taliban and Pakistan government, the US said that they would not like to see recent gains made by the Pakistani military against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan to be lost. Speaking to The Express Tribune, White House spokesperson Caitlin Hayden on Saturday said that the White House had seen reports of the TTP entering into negotiations with Pakistan, however, she added,
they do not appear denitive at this point. Earlier on Saturday, Reuters reported that Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, the TTP commander of the Bajaur faction, had conrmed that they were in negotiations with Pakistan. Reuters quoted the militant commander as
saying, If negotiations succeed and we are able to sign a peace agreement in Bajaur, then the government and the Taliban of other areas such as Swat, Mohmand, Orakzai and South Waziristan tribal region will sign an agreement. Bajaur will be a role model for other areas.
Clad in his trademark white kurta and Gandhi cap, Mr. Hazare was received at the protest venue
with a thunderous applause and sloganeering by his supporters who had gathered at the venue braving
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at the Jantar Mantar yesterday where they aligned themselves with the anti-corruption crusaders views on the Lokpal Bill and ayed the Parliamentary Standing Committees report on the legislation. The government will give nal shape to the Lokpal Bill on the basis of inputs it receives from its allies and the Opposition parties and place it on the agenda of the next Cabinet meeting which may be convened either on December 18 or 19 after the Prime Ministers return from a trip to Russia.
across Asia in solar, wind, hydro, biofuels, natural gas, batteries and green information technology. The SACEF generally seeks signicant minority equity positions and prefers to share a majority or controlling position in combination with another nancial or strategic minority investor, OPIC papers say.
evidence against the BSP chief. Both the parties are defending each other in their scams...the government has all the documentary evidence and it should take action, Somaiya said. He said a letter written by the Enforcement Directorate to Noida Authority was proof that the Centre was aware of the goings-on in Uttar Pradesh. The party also released a list of 26
companies, in which, it claimed, Mayawatis brother Anand Kumar and his wife Vichitralata have stakes. Earlier, it had released a list of 25 such entities. We will give details of the entities to the ten main investigative agencies like ED and CBI seeking action, besides handing over a memorandum to the UP Governor. If no action is taken, we will be forced to move court, Somaiya said.
The European Union (EU) on Friday blamed India for blocking a new legally-binding agreement, saying New Delhi was maintaining a relatively tough stand, preventing countries from arriving at a conclusion in Durban. India said it was open to discussions if issues of equity the right to grow were taken into account. EU climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard said there were two sticking points with India the future of the legal form of the agreement and the timeframe in which countries should make the emission cuts. The EU has proposed a roadmap for a single, legally-binding framework
by 2015. She said of the BASIC quartet, Brazil and South Africa had agreed to the EUs proposal while China had shown some exibility, but India was maintaining a relatively tough stand. Within reach As of today, the agreement is within reach on the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol the only existing legal regime roadmap for negotiations and the future regime that would be global and legally binding, said Ms. Hedegaard. She said the EUs roadmap had been accepted by the majority of countries small island states, least-developed
Customs ofcials of India and Pakistan are to clear the backlog of trucks stranded on both sides of the land border by allowing trading activities to start on Sundays. They have also operationalized a hotline between Attari and Wagah railway stations. The decision for opening cargo movement was taken on Sunday in a meeting of ofcials of two departments at Lahore, said deputy commissioner (customs) R K Duggal upon his return from Pakistan. This was done keeping in view problems faced by traders due to long queues
of trucks and to promote trade, he added. Truck operators are relieved as at present they have to wait two or three days for unloading goods at the border. Gurnam Singh, a driver from Ludhiana, who has been waiting for clearance of his truck for past two days, said, It is an admirable decision which would benet both drivers and traders. Talking about the railway hotline, Duggal said, The telephone connect would help smoothen movement of Samjhauta Express.
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George V and Queen Mary in Delhi, India, 1911, (1935). The King and Queen travelled to India to attend the Delhi Durbar, held to celebrate their coronation. A print from King Emperors Jubilee, 1910-1935,
While the British sealed it as the capital of modern India, Delhi has for centuries been the power and nerve centre of the regimes that ruled the country, each one of them leaving behind an imprint on the heritage of the historic city. So, while the British brought back the capital to Delhi only 100 years ago, the citys role as the political pivot dates right back to over 3000 years, much before the trace of recorded history can be found. In December 1911, when Lilah Wingeld was 23, she traveled to India by invitation of King George V to attend the Durbar, a royal assembly that marked the kings visit. This was the rst time a British monarch visited India. In Delhi, the young British lady stayed in the tented city set up to accommodate the 250,000 visitors attending the Durbar, many of whom were rulers of Indias princely states. She took the opportunity to travel around India, including to Mumbai and Bhopal, where she stayed with the Begum of Bhopal, a powerful princess. Ms. Wingeld, an avid photographer, captured her journey with her camera. Jessica Douglas-Home, Ms. Wingelds granddaughter, recently brought many of the pictures to Delhi for an exhibition at the citys Imperial Hotel that marks 100 years of New Delhi as Indias capital 1911 Queen Mary Delhi Durbar tiara with Cambridge emeralds The ceremony recognizing imperial rule of India was the Durbar held in (old) Delhi. Previous Durbars were not attended by the UK sovereign. That changes with George V and Mary who went to India for the Durbar. With a staggering population of 1.68 crore, New Delhi
New Delhi to be built similar to old Delhi. But Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, the greatest British Architect who is the brain child of New Delhi opposed the idea. He is also the one behind the national monument India Gate and magnicent Rashtrapati Bhavan. Recently Delhi has been voted as the best city for Social Infrastructure and commuting by Times Poll. We hope that Delhi becomes the safe city for Women in the future. Hundred years ago, on December 12, a grand congregation of royalty and British soldiers assembled at the Delhi Durbar as King George V proclaimed Delhi as the new Capital of Imperial India. Celebrating the centenary, are a series of exhibitions across town and even a special conclave with leaders organised by Hindustan Times. One such event is the exhibition, Delhi: Red Fort To Raisina, curated by Pramod Kapoor of Roli Books. The exhibition, which kicks off at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts on December 15, brings together over four centuries of visual history, from the time of Mughal emperors to more recent images of Lutyens Delhi covered in scaffolding. Its the 100th anniversary of the Capital and we always knew that we wanted to do something, and thought a seminal pictorial exhibition like this has never really been done before. 80% of the exhibition is based on our book Red Fort to Raisina, which launches tonight, and about 20% has been sourced just for the show, says Kapoor, who has spent the last two months putting the exhibition together.
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TIME has come for India and Pakistan to take bold actions to move forward for economic and social development of the people and stability of the region, South Asia as a whole and free media of both the countries could play a vital role to make it possible. It was opined by the speakers at a seminar on Role of media for stable and prosper South Asia held in connection with the 26th anniversary of SAARC which was organised by the Media and Communication Department of a private university on Friday. According to a press statement, SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry former Secretary General Rahmatullah Javed was the chief guest on the occasion. The university Rector Prof Dr Hassan Sohaib Murad presided over the seminar. The universitys Department of Media and Communication Chairman Prof Dr Mujahid
Mansoori, noted political scholar of Canada and Pakistan Prof Mian Muhammad Asif and a large number of media students attended the event. Rahmatullah Javed briefed the students about the SAARC history, objectives and its functioning. He said that trustful ties between India and Pakistan were crucial to utilise maximum potential of the SAARC member states for the collective wellbeing of the people of South Asian region. He was
of the view that the media could play a greater role in promoting people-to-people contact and trade ventures among the SAARC countries. He said if Germany, France and other countries even after ghting against one another in the Second World War could come close with each other in the form of European Union, why not Pakistan and India which had lived with one and other for around 800 years before separation of the Sub-
Continent. Dr Hassan Sohaib Murad said that Pakistan and India needed to learn lesson from other regional blocs and associations like European Union, NAFTA, ASEAN, GCC (Gulf Cooperative Council) and ECO (Economic Cooperation Organization) etc. He said Pakistan must take advantage of its geopolitical position by working as an active member to get maximum advantages from the upcoming developments.
Keith Vaz nominated Rev Jesse Jackson for the Nobel Peace prize
Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP on his announcement in Leicester said that he is nominating the Reverend Jesse Jackson for the Nobel Peace prize further he said : I am delighted to be nominating the Reverend Jesse Jackson for the Nobel Peace Prize. The Reverend Jackson is one of the most inuential black leaders in the world. For 50 years he has fought for the rights of the disadvantaged and disenfranchised in society. Reverend Jackson is a vital part of the thread of freedom that has run through the past two centuries, in the civil rights movement and in bringing down apartheid. Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and President Barack Obama have been recognised for the roles they have played. Now it is the Reverends turn. Reverend Jackson was a key speaker at De Montfort Universitys conference on terrorism and radicalism, organised by the Parliamentary Home Affairs Select Committee, chaired by Leicester East MP Keith Vaz. Reverend Jackson, 70, gave a speech at a conference organised by the Parliamentary Home Affairs Select Committee about radicalisation The committee is looking at why people become extremists and will report its ndings in a government paper. When Jesus kicked over the tables in the temple because the house of prayer had become a house of commerce and thievery, he was radical, he said. But it was radical love not radical
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the best in eastern India, as well as its highly efcient emergency room. But early on Friday the hospital, known as Amri, confronted an emergency for which it seemed to have no plan: an inferno in its
Ineptitude, poor equipment and bad information helped compound what initially seemed like a minor blaze. The doctors on duty ed the hospital almost immediately, leaving patients stuck in their
blaze, Fire Department ofcials said. The hospitals re detection and suppression system did not function, Fire Department ofcials said. The blaze is sure to raise fresh questions about safety in Indias
re was also reported from the basement of the hospital. A re engine stationed at the hospital doused the re.
To all appearances, the Advanced Medical Research Institute hospital in Kolkata was state of the art. It had some of the latest, most precise radiation therapy equipment for patients in its cancer center. It offered special deluxe suites for its wealthiest patients. Its trauma surgery unit was said to be one of
basement that transformed the entire hermetically sealed and air-conditioned building into a giant chimney for a searing, smoky re. When the smoke cleared, 94 people were dead, scores more were injured and a nation was left asking: Is nowhere, even an expensive, privately run hospital designed for the countrys upwardly mobile classes, safe from the disaster that seems to lurk on every railway line, highway on-ramp and festival ground? Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, summed up the mood when he sent this message on Twitter: Every time I see incidents like #AMRI Im convinced we really are a 3rd world nation with delusions of greatness. There appeared to be many reasons why the re in the plush 180-bed hospital in Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, which started in the basement early on Friday morning, roared out of control for many hours and produced such catastrophic results.
wards and at the mercy of the billowing black smoke, witnesses and patients told reporters. Local people who tried to get inside the hospital to help rescue patients said they were turned away by security guards who assured them it was only a small kitchen re. Hospital ofcials were slow to call the Fire Department, and then re trucks were slow to arrive, hospital ofcials said. In fact, it took reghters more than 12 hours to subdue the
booming private hospital business, which, like much else in India, is poorly regulated. The hospital had recently been named one of the citys best by The Week, an Indian magazine that regularly ranks hospitals. Like many such hospitals in India, the Advanced Medical Research Institute offered expensive Western-style facilities to middle- and upper-middleclass Indians who have shunned government hospitals, which are crowded and less well equipped.
Firhad Hakim, West Bengal States minister of urban development, arrived at the scene at 5 a.m. to nd dozens of reghters standing around, unable to get inside. The smoke was so thick and black that it was not possible to enter into the hospital, Mr. Hakim said. Witnesses and patients described a chaotic scene of underequipped reghters struggling to rescue patients trapped in the building. The hospital was storing diesel and motor oil in the basement, he said. Fueled by these volatile elements, the re sent plumes of searing, pitch-black smoke into the upper oors via the elevator ducts, Mr. Hakim said. Patients, many of them bedridden, had no way to escape. The mirrored glass windows did not open. The facade of the building was made of thick glass, which reghters struggled to break. Finally, they used a ladder to reach an upper oor, where they were able to break the glass and vent some of the smoke. But by then it was 7:30 a.m., and the re had been pouring smoke into the hospital for almost four hours. Whoever they brought out, most of them were dead, Mr. Hakim said.
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Recommendations include fresh agreements for Nato supplies and logistics support to the US, minimising the CIA footprint in the country, seeking an honourable return of Afghan
refugees and pursuing efforts to stabilise Afghanistan irrespective of Washingtons approach, according to the ofcial, who was part of the consultations. The conference also decided to seek
a formal public apology from the US over the November 26 incident and rm guarantees that there would be no violation of Pakistans sovereignty in the future, added the ofcial, who asked to remain anonymous. The envoys, according to the participant, were of the view that the US appears to be uninterested in the Afghan reconciliation process. However, irrespective of Washingtons approach, Islamabad must redouble its efforts to facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process, he added.
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court issued a detailed verdict on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) on Thursday night, saying that the federation had failed to establish that it was aggrieved by the courts decision against the controversial ordinance. Following the detailed judgment, the government will face renewed pressure from the countrys highest court to reopen Swiss money laundering cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, who is currently hospitalised in Dubai for medical treatment. On November 24, a 17-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, dismissed a review petition of the federation against the NRO and directed it to comply with its decision without any delay. Before parting with this judgment, we may like to observe that the Court was conscious of the fact that although neither the Parliament approved the NRO as an act nor defended the law and rather did not oppose revival of criminal cases, this petition for review was led on behalf of the federation; that despite repeated queries of the Court, learned counsel did not elaborate as to how the federation was an aggrieved person or disclose any
other sufcient cause to fall within the parameters of the law regulating the review jurisdiction, said the detailed judgment. It further addressed objections raised on every single paragraph of the NRO decision by the federation. The judgment also stated that it had given permission to former law minister Dr Babar Awan to represent the federation so that if we nd that a case for review is made, we will allow the application seeking permission to argue, which could only have been argued under the Supreme Court rules by the counsel who appeared for the federation in the main case. The court in Para 178 of the judgment merely held that the communications addressed by the then attorney general were unauthorised and the federal government was directed to take steps to seek the revival of the request in that context. Neither during the hearing of the main case, learned counsel for the federal government placed on record any instructions of the federation in this context nor during the hearing of this review petition, any such material was laid before this court which could persuade us to hold that the said communication by the then attorney general was duly authorised to warrant its review, the judgment said.
Describing the US-Pakistan relationship as complicated but essential, the US State Department on Saturday has said it is working hard to get back to cooperative work with the South Asian country. Following last months deadly Nato strike which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and led to a sharp decline in bilateral ties between both countries. This relationship is complicated, but its also essential to both the United States and Pakistan. And we are working very hard to keep open channels and to get back to work together, Victoria Nuland, the State Department spokesperson, said. On efforts towards repairing the relationship, the spokesperson referred to ongoing US-Pakistani contacts including Secretary of State Hillary Clintons call to Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani as well as the latest meeting between US Ambassador in Islamabad Cameron Muner and Pakistans Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.
We are continuing our intensive engagement, including through the recent meeting between Ambassador Munter and Foreign Minister Khar. Obviously, we are both trying to roll up our sleeves and get back to work together, said Nuland. With regard to what might emerge from any internal review, I would refer you to the Government of Pakistan on that.
Mirani, elder brother of Major Mujahid Ali Mirani, who was killed during November 26 Nato strike in Mohmand agency. Sharif frowned over Pakistans airbases being used to attack its own people in northern areas. He said that he did not trust government-constituted commissions as the commission constituted to probe PNS Mehran base attack had done nothing so far. Nawaz Sharif further said his party rmly support armys principled stance of declaring the Nato strike a deliberate act. To a question whether President
Zardari was suffering from political disease or real disease, he said some disease and declined to offer more comments. Earlier speaking at a public gathering in Larkana, the PML-N chief said Sindh is changing, Pakistan is changing and Larkana is also changing. Nawaz also said those who ran away leaving behind the dead body of Benazir Bhutto had now become ministers. He said he had promised Benazir to work with her for Pakistans prosperity but the current government did not implement the Charter of Democracy.
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those organizing the mass protest have the right to stage the protest under the constitution. MDP should consider the number they are facing when protesting against such religious protests. Their number is apparent from the lectures of Sheikh Ilyas, he said. Alhan said that the alleged death threats on the ofcial website of the protest was posted by mistake and the administrator of the website has acknowledged the mistake. He said that they are just organizing a peaceful protest calling to
protect the religion of Islam in Maldives. He said that there is no need to go out against them.
Alhan said that he believes that there are plausible reasons why the Civil Society Coalition is
staging such a protest. The issue of the idols placed in Addu City. The issue of the speech of UN Human Rights High Commissioner given in Maldives, he said. Many members of the MDP National congress praised Alhan Fahmy for his stance regarding the protest. Some members raised questions on the reasons why MDP Chairperson is insisting to go out against the protest when the Police and Armed Forces are there to protect the people if the protest turns violent.
inhumane: President
was included in the proposed Rf14 billion budget. Refuting the claim, Inaz stressed that the government proposed to increase the funds allocated for the salaries of police and armed forces
by 9.51 percent but not to increase their salaries. It was to cover the salary increment for ofcers who receive promotion and salaries of those who are to be employed next year, he said.
Human Rights, Navi Pillay, but this opportunity was wasted by some people with their Jihadi spirit. He said that the government would always uphold Islam and would strive to show the world how noble and beautiful Islam is.
by spreading doubts claiming that there is nothing wrong with placing idols and that it is similar to keeping pictures and giving the children to play with toys. He said that the people should be well prepared to face these challenges. Ilyas said that no opportunity
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accepted that the security situation in the country was not up to the mark. Political intervention in the security sector is the major evil plaguing law enforcement agencies, he said and pledged to table a proposal at the
Parliament to amend the Police Act within a month. Gachhadar informed the lawmakers that the Home Ministry will launch a campaign to improve the security situation in the country. The drive will include
issues of infrastructure development, programmes to encourage security personnel and hone their professional skills, the minister said. During the meet, Home Secretary Sushil Jung Bahadur Rana, Inspector General of Police Rabindra Pratap Shah, IGP of the Armed Police Force Sailendra Kumar Shrestha and Chief of the National Investigation Department Moti Gurung emphasised the need to develop infrastructure to make effective policing possible. The meeting also directed the government to revise security arrangements for VIPs after the recent Supreme Court verdict stripped them of state facilities.
The Special Committee (for the supervision, integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants) today studied the statistical details of regrouping of the combatants. The Special Committee (for the supervision, integration and rehabilitation of Maoist combatants) today studied the statistical details of regrouping of the combatants and directed the secretariat to come up with a time table and work plan for the integration in the next meeting scheduled for December 16.
Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai said that nobody would benet by opening wounds dating back to the conict period and that Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Commission on Enforced Disappearances would be formed for reconciliation. Addressing a programme organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to mark the International Human Rights Day in Lalitpur on Saturday, Bhattarai said the
process of forming two commissions has reached a nal stage and that the two mechanisms were integral part of the peace process. Reiterating the Maoist argument on non-extension of the OHCHRs term,
suggested dissolution of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA); and signing of the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement with India were all against the interest of the country. He also accused party Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal of taking the side of feudal landlords while returning the seized land in Bardiya. But we will never accept
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Rajapaksa has observed that the full LLRC report is currently being translated. President Mahinda Rajapaksa is expected
to submit the report to the parliament along with an oral statement on the governments actions on the recommendations made by
the Commission. However, the government has not yet announced a date when the President may present the report to the parliament. The eight-member Commission, appointed by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to probe the three-decade long armed conict with the Tamil Tiger terrorists, handed over its nal report to the President on November 20th. The President has said that the government will take actions without shielding anyone if the LLRC found any human rights violations during the war that ended in May 2009.
Sri Lanka is preparing to receive the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani on Monday when he arrives in Lanka on a twoday ofcial visit to strengthen the bilateral relations. The Qatari Prime Minister visiting Sri Lanka on an invitation from the Sri Lankan government will lead a high level delegation that will consist of Minister of Economy and Finance and senior ofcials
Lanka to strengthen Sri Lanka to release all detained bilateral ties with Qatar ex-LTTE cadres by mid-2012
together with that countrys business leaders. His Sri Lankan counterpart Prime Minister D. M. Jayaratne and External Affairs Minister, Prof. G.L. Peiris will receive the Qatari Premier and his delegation at the Bandaranaike International Airport. Sheikh Hamad will meet Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa during his two- day visit. Sri Lankan authorities expect to release all remaining former Tamil Tiger rebels by the middle of next year following the completion of their training program, a government ofcial said. The last remaining group of 700 former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres will be released by mid-2012 after providing them the mandatory 12 months training Secretary for the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms, Mr. A. Dissanayaka said yesterday. The ofcial made this claim following the visit of 104 former LTTE female cadres to the Sri Lankan parliament Friday before being reintegrated into society after their one year rehabilitation program. The rehabilitated female combatants visited the
parliament during the committee stage debate of the Ministry of Prison and rehabilitation. They were the members of the last group of around 700 remaining ex terrorists.
Sri Lanka has received the highest quantum of foreign investment amounting to over US $ 1,070 million by November this year towards development projects, Economic Development Deputy Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said. Speaking at the Government Information Department yesterday, he said there is a misconception in the country that foreign investment coming into the country has reduced but it is not so. In 2009 it was US $ 602 million and in 2010 it was US $ 516 million. He said 58 projects have been implemented from these investments and another 131 projects have been approved and 138 projects are awaiting approval. He said all projects of over US $ 3 million are considered as foreign investments. The minister said although the Opposition accuses the government of considering sale of land as an investment, the funds received from sale of lands are also part of investment. Referring to the progress of the tourism industry, he said in 2012, the country will receive Rs one billion as investment for tourism.
Sri Lanka secures President holds talks with Lankans display solidarity with $1 bn foreign Qatari Prime Minister Pakistan against NATO attack discussions in Bali on the sidelines of the investment in 2011 Bali democratic Forum IV.
The Premier has told the President that Qatar investors are interested in opening super luxury hotels in Colombo and other tourist hotspots outside capital and several Qatari investors are to visit Sri Lanka soon. The Prime Minister has reiterated his countrys commitment towards strengthening bilateral relations as well as economic cooperation with Sri Lanka.
The Prime Minister of Qatar Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani, who arrived in Sri Lanka Monday for a two day ofcial visit, has met with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday evening, the Presidents Media unit said. According to the Presidents Media the two leaders have held private discussions while the delegates from the two countries held bilateral discussions on trade and other matters. The President has apprised the Qatari leader on the progress of development projects in Sri Lanka, especially in the Northern and Eastern provinces, following the end of the war against terrorism in May 2009. Commending the massive progress Sri Lanka has achieved in a short time, the Prime Minister has told the President that Qatar is willing to invest in several elds in Sri Lanka. The two leaders recently held bilateral
During the Prime Ministers visit a MoU is expected to be signed to establish a Joint Committee with the Government of Qatar and also agreements on Economic, Commercial and Technical Cooperation, and cultural cooperation will be signed between the two governments.
Thousands of Sri Lankans gathered in Colombo on Friday after the Jumma prayers to condemn the actions of NATO/US-ISAF coalition and to denounce the unprovoked attacks of last month that resulted in the deaths of over two-dozen Pakistani soldiers. The Sri Lanka Pakistan Friendship Association along with Pakistani community in Sri Lanka organized a peaceful demonstration today outside the Devatagagha Mosque in Town Hall, Colombo to protest against the recent NATO attack on Pakistans military check posts on Afghanistan border. The Governor of Western Province Alevi Maulana, several Sri Lankan government ministers including Minister Mervyn De Silva, Deputy Mayor of Colombo Municipal Council and several high prole personalities participated in the peaceful protest against the attack, which Pakistan says
a blatant violation of its air and ground space. Protesters including journalists, government employees, lawyers and members of civil society gathered near the Colombo Municipal Council building complex and asked the US and NATO to Stop terrorizing Pakistan. A heavy contingent of police was present to provide security to the protesters and to ensure peaceful demonstration. No unwanted incidents took place throughout the protest. The organizers of the demonstration, Pakistan Sri Lanka Friendship Association, ministers and representatives of political parties addressed protesters and called for a resolute stand against the aggression. They termed the NATO attack as blatant aggression and terrorism, and appealed to the international community to stop such violations.
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NEWS
training in Indian classical music, Najma taught herself the harmonium, learnt basic vocal technique with Ustad Naeem Solaria and received guidance from other prominent South Asian classical artists. Najma emerged as a musician when world music was gaining popularity and had the opportunity of performing at Peter Gabriels WOMAD and Jazz stages at the Glastonbury, Reading and other European festivals. Najma is one of the very rst artists to have created a place in musical history in terms of world music by having given birth to a new genre fusion of Jazz and Indian Ghazal. Her work and presence on the World music scene had led to a new wave of inspired Asian artists of Indian decent following in her footsteps. Najma Akhtar is regarded as a pioneer of this fusion sound with respect to Indian Semi Classical, Ghazal and Jazz. In 1987, Najma released her rst recording in the UK with Triple Earth, Qareeb (Closeness). Universally acclaimed Qareeb
Saarc international I Thursday 15 December 2011 produced at G - Point Studios in Paris by Serge Glanzberg. Musicians from very diverse cultures and backgrounds were used, adding even more multiculturalism to the avour of Najmas past works. With Fariyaad, Najma continues to cross over into the jazz world; this time she incorporated Mediterranean inuences and instruments. Summer 2009 sees the release of RISHTE (Relationships). Rishte, Optimist. Najmas earlier live performances were described as brilliant as, when she was part of Peter Gabriels WOMAD tour. Najma has toured extensively in Europe, North America and Asia, and has headlined on the jazz stages at numerous festivals including Reading, Glastonbury, Lille and The Palestinian Jazz Festival in Jerusalem. Najma has had many incredible highlights in her career, but one that is most special to her, is being asked by Nina Simones management to perform with her at the London Dominion Theatre for a two-night engagement. Najmas voice can be heard on numerous motion picture soundtracks including Hanif Kureishis lm, Sammy and Rosie get Laid, People I Know starring Al Pacino and Kim Bassinger and Robert Altmans lm, Prt a Porter. In 2002 Najma collaborated with composer and musician Steve Beresford to write the thirteen song soundtrack of Bollywood Queen, the British-Bollywood lm directed by Jeremy Wooding and in 2008 also co-wrote a track for the sound track of the lm Brick Lane As an actor, Najma made her debut at Londons prestigious National Theatre in their production of Haroon and The Sea of Stories, adapted from the Salman Rushdie book and directed by Tim Supple. In 2002 Najma was brought in by the Group to help coach the London West End musical cast of Bombay Dreams.
Najma Akhtar
is on the Harmonia Mundi /World Village label. Najma appeared with Plant and Page on their MTV unplugged special which was recorded and released as a DVD and an album titled No Quarter, and later toured with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. Najma has also collaborated with many of the worlds most inuential musical artists including, Basement Jaxx, Jah Wobble, Take me to God; Andy Summers, The Golden Wire; Philip Glass, Liquid Days; Steve Coleman, Black Science; Jethro Tull, Dot Com and Stan Harrison The
and versatile artist and is renowned for using modern jazz inuences with Indian vocals creating a beautiful fusion of eastern and western styles. Najma always brings her own musical heritage into the spotlight while eliminating all musical boundaries. This has led to the release of 7 solo albums and also the opportunity to have artistic collaborations with some of the worlds most inuential and credible musicians. Throughout her career, Najma has made numerous radio and TV appearances all over the world. Although she did not receive formal
ENTERTAINMENT
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This is Kirans rst baby, but Aamir has a son, Junaid, and a daughter, Ira, from his rst wife Reena. Aamir ended his 15-year-old marriage with Reena in 2002, and during the shooting of Ashutosh Gowarikers Lagaan, he and the lms assistant director Kiran ended up together. They tied the knot in 2005. In 2009, Kiran got pregnant, but she had a miscarriage. However, the duo now feel blessed with the newborn.
What was the real deal about the use of ISI initials on her arm? When the make-up artist made the ISI initials on her arm and made the Is look like exclamation marks, Veena pitched in with her suggestion. She wanted the initials to be made bolder so that they could be seen on the camera. She was actively taking part in everything. And was she okay to doing nude photos? Yes, when we became clear about the concept, she had no hesitation. If she had any apprehensions or was unhappy, she could have said so and told us not to go ahead with printing the pictures when we emailed those to her after the shoot. She was ecstatic about them and wrote back saying she was looking forward to the issue. Even when I did an interview with her on November 27, she said she was thrilled for being considered for a cover. So what happened after that? The magazine came out on December 2 and from then till December 5 she gave a series of interviews with contradictory statements. Initially, she said she had not done the shoot and the pictures were morphed and later said she did the shoot but it wasnt that bold. In the interview, she has spoken her mind on issues including burqas, match xing in cricket and nightlife in Lahore. But imagine after the controversy, she did a total turnaround saying she was unaware that ISI stood for Pakistans Inter Services Intelligence and thought it was the name of companies in India. This is ridiculous. She cant be so ignorant. She says something, denies it and continues doing so and remains in the news for 6-7 days. And nally, sends us a legal notice (for defaming her reputation).
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With nuclear missile technology what it is today, the next war could very well be the worlds last. As it becomes clear that the Pentagon/ NATO is intrinsically linked to the AIPAC/State Department axis, as it becomes clear that the USA and its allies have long since ceased to follow the law, it would appear that we are sliding towards disaster. The tell-tale signs are all there. The former status quo which was achieved by a Soviet Bloc able and willing to counteract the more aggressive and belligerent tendencies of those who had been imperialist powers and their allies, gaining riches as they held populations down under the yoke of colonialism, stealing their riches and committing massacres as they civilised the planet with the Bible and the Bullet approach to international relations, disappeared at the beginning of the 1990s. For once and for all, let us get the story straight. The Soviet Union did not collapse, it dissolved voluntarily, as catered for in its constitution because a new political, economic and social cycle had begun with different players and vectors and those in Government considered that the old model had succeeded in achieving what it set out to do, namely bring medieval societies into the front line of social, industrial and economic development, providing excellent public services free of charge. However, a major consequence of this dissolution was the vacuum in international relations caused by the absence of the counterweight against the sinister plans of Washington and her NATO allies, which are only too plain to see. Before the decade was up, in 1998, we had Afghanistans
Mullah Omar being approached with a bribe to set up a pipeline across his country from Central Asia to Pakistan and the game was then on. The ashpoint was 9/11 and with the Bush regime in place, the game swung into action. Afghanistan was invaded in retaliation, although the link between Kabul and Kandahar and the Twin Towers has yet to be proven, and we now discover that Afghanistan itself is rich in mineral resources, apart from presenting a strategic bridge deep into Central Asia together with a billionaire drugs trade in heroin production and smuggling. World War Three is not about containing hegemonic ideals, it is not about defeating ideology. This time around, it is based upon greed, the desire to control the worlds resources and it therefore comes as no surprise that all the pieces of the puzzle are centred around the epicentre of these resources - the Middle East and Central Asia, removing those powers who would constitute a block. It began after Kosovo, a test of forces, an arm-wrestling contest to see which side would blink rst while under the table empty promises were traded, as
they have been all along. It continued with Iraq, invaded illegally and virtually destroyed in the most blatant disregard for international law the world had seen, before Libya conrmed what is going on. It has nothing to do with freedom and democracy, if so then why did NATO refuse to allow the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya to hold a democratic election for the people to choose between the NATO/NTC Terrorists and the Jamahiriya Government? It has already begun in Iran, with cyber terrorist attacks against Irans nuclear power capacity, with violations of Irans airspace and with terrorist attacks inside the country aimed at Revolutionary Guard Ofcers, military centres and equipment. And for those who doubt who lies at the end of the railway line, the deployment of a part of the Missile Defence System in Turkey will cover a large swathe of the Russian Federation. Remember Washingtons hysteria during the Cuban Missile Crisis? What the West (USA/NATO) is capable of, we have seen very clearly. What we have not seen yet is what exists to counter this Axis of Evil.
Washingtons position, smiling to the face yet wielding a knife behind the back, runs counter to the goodwill demonstrated by the Russian Federation when the Cold War ended and when political discourse centred on what the two former foes had in common, rather than differences. How is it possible to have anything in common with a back-stabbing, warmongering murderous group of criminals whose intention is to control the worlds resources and whose modus operandi is closer to skulduggery through Colour Revolutions than it is to the norms of diplomacy? The recent intrusion into the internal affairs of the Russian Federation, funding activists to create problems after the recent Parliamentary election (DUMA) and the insolence and arrogance demonstrated by Washingtons Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, leave it perfectly clear as to the measure of the monster we are facing. There are, nevertheless, two powerful vectors working against Washington, vectors it has not yet begun to understand. One is the military might of the CSTO and SCO Organizations,
hundreds thrice in his career for just a few runs but he was sure about his third one once he completed the hundred. I think I missed a double hundred against India in Pakistan, once on 194 and another time on 197 but this time I was sure that I will get my 200, he said. It was Youniss 19th Test hundred in 72 Test matches and he is now ve centuries shy of achieving the feat of Javed Miandad, but the 34-year-old was not thinking about this record. Rather he was looking to play 100 Test matches for Pakistan. Its a dream to play 100 Test matches. If I am lucky enough to play 100 Test match may be I will be close to him or may be past him. My main target is to play 100 test matches, Younis said about his future target. When asked about Bangladeshs pathetic batting in the series, Younis suggested that the Tigers need more international cricket, especially more Test matches to improve their performance.
Majeed, who along with Pakistan players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were sent to jail for spot-xing against England, had attempted to lure Afridi into his web. Majeed wanted to talk to me but I had heard rumours about this guy, I didnt talk to him, Afridi said yesterday upon arriving to Melbourne for the Big Bash. My God has given me everything, my father worked hard so I could have everything, why would I need to do these things? Afridi said he never suspected that his former teammates could be involved in xing and added that nobody has ever asked him to x results. In August last year, the now defunct News Of The World newspaper published an article and video of Majeed accepting money from an undercover journalist to manipulate the game by having his clients Amir and Asif bowl deliberate no-balls in a Test match at Lords, under the watchful eye of Test captain Butt.
Shahid Afridi
NEWS
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generation he didnt belong to biologically, but in spirit, was younger than most teenagers at the time. His optimism, enthusiasm and zest for life was awe-inspiring, and I remember leaving his ofce feeling invincible every single time. Also, the fact that Id just had a conversation over popcorn and sookha bhel with one of the greatest actors in Indian cinema left an indelible high on my soul each time. Our ages never came in the way of our life exchanges, if anything, it was comforting to think of him as a friend, even though he was closer to my grandparents age than mine. I met Dev Saab as a star, completely struck by his charm and polite demeanour and got to know him as a person subsequently one that I would like to describe as one of the most honest and clean souls in the
Some things I observed about him, which are not known to many, are listed here:
personal note was protocol for his friends and family. 4. He liked soft lights in his ofce,
1. He picked up his ofce phone himself and greeted you with the most charming Hello. 2. He never forgot anyones name
which was a penthouse on 42, Pali Hill, Bandra, situated above his dubbing studio, Anand Recording Studio.
with them - AFP 5. The penthouse was covered from oor to ceiling with a vast collection of books and scripts with just enough space for his couch, which incidentally was his favourite spot in the room. 6. Soup was his preferred dinner as he was a very spartan eater and his favourite snack was a bowl of unsalted and unbuttered popcorn. 7. He never gossiped about people always analysed things and deconstructed them, never degrading anyone in the process. 8. He wasnt a big spender. 9. He always invited people to his parties personally over the telephone, which was then followed by a formal invite. 10. He was an extremely well read and articulate man and could converse on any subject with as much ease as lms and lmmaking.
Pakistan-US relationship
Continued from page 09 >> coup, he said: Rumours are rumours. The Pakistani prime minister also denied a Pakistani Taliban claim that it was engaged in peace talks with his government. But he added: Whosoever surrenders and denounces violence, they are acceptable to us. He also denied rumours President Asif Ali Zardari had suffered a stroke and the army was trying to oust him. Mr Gilani said Mr Zardari was making a rapid improvement in hospital in Dubai, but would need two weeks rest before returning home. Credibility gap The air strikes on 26 November marked a low point in relations between Washington and Islamabad, which have long been strained by the US-led military campaign against militants in Afghanistan. In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC, Mr Gilani said Pakistan and the US needed to trust each other better. Yes there is a credibility gap, we are working together and still we dont trust each other, Mr Gilani said. I think we have to improve our relationship so that... we should have more condence in each other.
Continued from page 09 >> seriously ill or about to step down. All tests are clear and the doctors plan to discharge the president from hospital tomorrow to take rest at home and continue the heart medication, presidency spokesman Farhatullah Babar said to reporters. The president is recovering and the doctors have advised him complete rest, Babar said. Zardari would leave hospital for his house in Dubai, but Babar declined to comment on when the 56-yearold head of state would return to Pakistan. Nor has any denitive diagnosis of Zardaris condition been made public. Last week, a senior member of his Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said to reporters that Zardari had probably suffered a transient ischemic attack, or ministroke. His Doctor Khaldoun Taha issued a statement from the American Hospital saying that Zardari was admitted on December 6 with left arm numbness and twitching after losing consciousness for a few seconds. Zardari has a long-standing heart condition, but was admitted fully awake and conscious with stable vital signs, Taha said.
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COMMENT
the architect of Pakistans nuclear weapons program, the federal prosecutors ofce in Bern said in a
statement. The A.Q. Khan smuggling ring sold key equipment such as centrifuges
for uranium enrichment to various countries until its operations were disrupted in 2003. Prosecutors said the Tinners have agreed to ask for a shortened legal procedure, under which defendants admit the basic charges against them but face no more than ve years in prison. If judges at the Federal Criminal Tribunal agree, politically sensitive aspects of the investigation likely wont be publicly aired as further evidence gathering and therefore cross-examination would be excluded in court. An unidentied fourth defendant who prosecutors said played a subordinate role will be charged in a separate legal proceeding with breaking Swiss arms exports laws. Prosecutors said in their statement the question of the Tinners cooperation with the CIA remains unresolved, because the Swiss government has denied a request to open a criminal investigation into the issue. Lawyers representing the Tinners didnt immediately respond to emails and telephone calls requesting comment. Urs Tinner, who was released on bail in December 2008 after almost ve years in investigative detention,
claimed in a 2009 interview with Swiss TV station SF1 that he had tipped off U.S. intelligence about a delivery of centrifuge parts meant for Libyas nuclear weapons program. The shipment was seized at the Italian port of Taranto in 2003, forcing Libya to admit and eventually renounce its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons. The CIA has declined to comment on the Tinner case. But the agency has said in the past that the disruption of the A.Q. Khan network was a genuine intelligence success, one in which the CIA played a key role. A book by U.S. investigative reporters Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins backs Urs Tinners claim that he was recruited by the CIA as early as 2000. In 2007, the Swiss government ordered evidence in the case destroyed, citing national security concerns. The decision prompted outrage in Switzerland and accusations that the government had acted under pressure from Washington. Prosecutors said they were able to recover copies of some of the les, but others including all electronic records have been denitively lost.
Tribune Comment
gure on it. The Roman coins at the time of Nabi Isa (A) were Haram to be used in the Temple; because they had graven images... And so the Temple (at that time) used to mint its own coins, gold and silver. And the people came to the temple if they wanted an animal to be Zabiha (sacriced); you got to pay for it.
And no one could sacrice the animal except the Rabbi. Therefore the temple got some revenue. So you had to pay the temple in this money which was Halal (gold and silver coins). So when Dajjal stands up in Jerusalem tomorrow, and he has not brought back that Halal money, no Jew will accept him as the Messiah. This is why I believe that Israel has already minted her gold and silver coins so that these can be introduced before Dajjal makes his appearance. So thats the rst thing you can do; bring back the Gold Dinar and the Silver Dirham as money. Can you do it in downtown KLCC? Im not stopping you. If you want to try, go ahead. It is my opinion based on my study on Surah Kahf of the Quran that the only place you can bring back the Gold Dinar and Silver Dirham as money in the market, is in the remote country side. And in those micro markets we will not accept your paper money.
In so far as money lent on interest is concerned; make Tauba if you have borrowed money on interest to buy your car, or to buy your house. Make Tauba because if you die with that Riba, there is no way you can enter into Jannah. Why? Because the curse of the Prophet (SA) is upon you. Get out of that Riba. Sell the car. Sell the house. Pay the bank. When you try do to that... you will know what kind of snake there is in the bank. Make Tauba and never again borrow or lend money on interest. Islam, Murabaha and Fixed Deposits Islam has declared war on the moneylender who demands interest. It did so in the very last divine revelation (al-Baqarah, 2:279) to come down in the Holy Quran. Here is that last revelation: O ye who believe! Fear Allah, and give up what remains of your demand for usury (i.e., the interest due on a xed deposit, or on any other loan on interest), if ye are
indeed believers. If ye do it not (i.e. if you persist in your claim or demand for the interest due to you), then take notice of (a declaration of) war from Allah and His Messenger: but if ye turn away (from such claim or demand), then you are entitled to the return of your capital sum (placed in the xed deposit or otherwise lent); do not enter into (such) unjust transactions, nor allow yourselves to be subjected to such. If (you forgo the interest due to you and then nd) the debtor in a difculty (in respect of returning the capital sum that was lent to him on interest), grant him time till it is easy for him to repay. But if ye remit it by way of charity, that is best for you if ye only knew. And (in this matter in particular, i.e., lending money on interest) fear the Day when ye shall be brought back to Allah. Then shall every soul be paid what it earned, and none shall be dealt with unjustly. (Quran, al-Baqarah, 2:278-281)
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go to the hospital but to Karnis TopCape Technology of Cape Town, South Africa. Top Cape, in turn, sent the triggers to AJKMC Lithography Aid Society in Islamabad, Pakistan through Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Top-Cape ofcially traded in military and aviation electronics equipment. It was during the summer of 2003, when Valerie Plame and her team -- at a critical stage of their investigation of the A. Q. Khan network -- were outed by White House ofcials Karl Rove, Scooter Libby, and at least one other individual (possibly Elliot Abrams), that Karni received an e-mail from his long time Pakistani associate Humayun Khan (no relation to A. Q. Khan) asking for 200 triggers to be sent to his Islamabad-based company, Pakland PME.
ofce, U.S. and South African intelligence were already closely monitoring the transaction and the key players involved. It is also noteworthy that Karni previously worked for a Cape Town electronic import rm called Eagle Technology but was red after it was discovered by his boss that he was making secret deals to ship nuclear components to Israel, India, Pakistan, and possibly, North Korea. A.Q. Khan link to Israeli smuggler: Designed to speed up Iranian nuclear development to justify U.S./Israeli attack on Iran. Karni had been in South Africa for 20 years after arriving from Israel. His time in South Africa coincided with the apartheid governments rapid development of its own (since disestablished) nuclear weapons program and very
After initially attempting to purchase the devices from a sale agent in France -- an attempt that proved unsuccessful when the French agent demanded a U.S. export license for the triggers because the end destination was Pakistan -- Karni managed to obtain the triggers from Perkin-Elmers manufacturing plant in Massachusetts through Giza Technologies. Karnis e-mail trafc to and from Khan was being intercepted by a covert agent in South Africa and being forwarded to U.S. authorities. It is not known whether the covert agent was a Brewster Jennings asset but it would not be surprising considering Karni was an important link in the A. Q. Khan nuclear smuggling network. By the time the initital shipment of 66 triggers were sent to Karnis Cape Town
close military ties between South Africa and Israel. As for Humayun Khan, the Los Angeles Times discovered that the Pakistani businessman had been involved in nuclear weapons smuggling since 1975 when he was engaged in business with a former Nazi named Alfred Hempel, who was the kingpin in a global nuclear smuggling network active throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Hempel died in 1989. In an interview aired by PBSs Frontline on July 26, Humayun Khan said he never realized Karni was Jewish, stating that the Israeli masqueraded as a Muslim. However, what is clear is that an Israeli-based network, involving key neo-conservatives in the Bush adminstration, were attempting to speed up the clock on the delivery by the A. Q.
penetrated the A.Q. Khan network and may have been part of the Brewster Jennings operation. Tinners Swiss Passport. The Swiss Authority destroyed Documents proong the link between the CIA and Tinner According to FBI insiders, wiretaps of phone calls in the Giza-Bilmen-Karni smuggling ring yielded the name Douglas Feith, the Undersecretary of Defense for Plans and Policy and one of Donald Rumsfelds chief advisers, and Turkish MIT intelligence members of the American Turkish Council, a lobbying group which represents some of Americas largest defense and private military contractors. In May 2005, Der Spiegel magazine reported that Tinner was, in fact, a CIA agent. Germany announced that Tinner would be extradited to Switzerland,
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Special Feature
There is a considerable Christian population residing in the South Asian region. The community awaits and enjoys the annual festival with great enthusiasm and vigor. The celebrations also bear similarity with the western way of celebrating the festive occasion. Elaborate decorations, Christmas carols and feasting is seen in the
whole of South Asia and it is also common to see people dressed like Santa Claus on Christmas, especially in India, as the country has witnessed an impact of European traditions during the colonial era. Read on to know more about Christmas celebrations and traditions in South Asia. Christmas Celebrations In South Asia A large numbers of Christians reside in the South Asian countries, including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
for them. Christian families visit the local churches on the night of 24th December, to attend the midnight mass. The churches are decorated with Poinsettia owers and candles on this festive occasion. After the mass is over, celebrators enjoy a lavish feast, consisting of varied Christmas delicacies. Gifts are also exchanged among celebrators. Being a multi-linguistic and multicultural nation, Merry Christmas in India is wished in many native languages.
during the Advent. These seminars are intended to help people in preparing for Bara Din (meaning the Big Day). Christmas carols are sung in predominantly Christian areas during the last week of Advent. Singers go door-to-door and the families give them something in return. Usually, the money collected from these carols is donated to charities. Bishop Theotonius (2nd L) of Kakrail church conducts
a prayer for the Bangladeshi Christian community Bangladesh In Bangladesh, another prominent South Asian country, Christmas is identied as Bara Din (Bangladesh was earlier a part of Pakistan). The country has its own unique way of celebrating the festival. The St. Marys Church in the state capital, Dhaka, hosts religious gathering, which continues for days. Other churches invite the community to join
them in decorating Christmas tree and singing carols. Some churches also organize a feast after the services. The festival is largely associated with giving and receiving the love of god. Most families spend the Christmas Eve together, even as Christmas songs are played in the background. The festival is usually a busy day for entire Christian community in Bangladesh
Split decision loss to Peterson Calls decision disgusting after Peterson defeat ready for rematch Briton suffers second loss just two days after his 25th birthday
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Amir Khan lost his WBA and IBF light-welterweight titles in a gruelling and hard-fought battle with Lamont Peterson in Washington DC. Khan loses title Peterson in controversial split decision Khan docked two points by referee for pushing Judges score ght 113-112, 113-112, 110-115
Amir Khan lost his WBA superlightweight and IBF lightwelterweight titles after he was deducted two points and lost a split decision to American Lamont Peterson. Referee Joseph Cooper deducted a point from Khan for pushing at the end of the seventh, and a second point in the 12th when Khan hit Peterson on the break. We all know who won the ght. Even a few of the comissioners came over to me and said that was a disgusting decision. I knew straight after the 12th round that we won that ght. The ref wasnt on my side. Every time Lamont kept putting his head down, I kept looking at the ref and saying Come on ref, do something. I had to hold him down because I didnt want him to come back up and head but me. The referee kept penalising me, I mean, like I said I was up against the referee and him but people who were watching on HBO and Sky TV, they all know what the ght was all about. They know Im a warrior. Ill come back
stronger. Peterson was asked for his opinion of the points that were taken from Khan. Im a ghter not a referee. Like I said I wasnt really caught up into that. I was focused on Khan, winning the ght and executing my game plan so thats what I was focused on. Talk to me a week from now and Ill watch the tape and give you a better answer. Peterson did not rule out a rematch in England and agreed that sooner would be better. I wouldnt mind doing it (in England), Peterson said. The deal would be right. Everything would have to be right. I would do it. If its left up to me I would ght him tomorrow. It doesnt matter when. Im always ready to ght. Khan also complained that he was not awarded a rst-round knockdown that Cooper judged a slip. Khan answered with a clear knockdown later in the round but every point turned out to be critical. In the rst round I got two
knockdowns, Khan said. Then he took the points straight away without any warning. I was shocked I got that point off in the 12th round. But Ill get my chance back to show the world.
Khan did not begrudge Peterson for enjoying his triumph in what all agreed was an electrifying ght. I cant take anything away from him. He wasnt the ref. He wasnt a judge. He did what he had to do in
the ght, Khan said. I have to go back to the drawing board. Sometimes you get these bad decisions. You come back stronger. Im strong. I have got a lot left in me.
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
Could Judan Ali become the Premier Leagues rst British Asian manager?
The colour of my skin has held me back for years but I aim to be the Prems rst British-Asian boss
has set his sights on becoming the Premier Leagues rst British Asian manager, something which seems to be far-fetched considering the number of Black managers in the professional leagues stands at just two. Ali was bitten by the football bug from a young age and worked hard towards getting in the game. Having spent two years at Arsenal as an YTS trainee, Ali, who was born in east London, was met with a wall of prejudice. d. Ali suffered racist abuse and discrimination when he tried to make a career as a professional as a teenager in the late 80s and early 90s after two years at Arsenal as an YTS trainee.
Racism in football has been the hot topic of the moment, with plenty of stories and incidents which indicate that discrimination in the sport, just as in society has not been fully eradicate The aspiring coach
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Sports
SAT
Requiring just six wickets for victory in the rst of the two-Test series, Pakistan took just over a session to claim the win as they dismissed Bangladesh for 275. Nazimuddin briey frustrated the tourists with a career-best 78 and Shakib Al-Hasan (51) registered his ninth Test half-century before Abdur Rehman dismissed both en route to gures of 4-88. Having resumed on 134-4 on the fourth morning, Bangladesh moved the score to 158 before losing Shakib (51), trapped lbw by Rehman moments after completing his ninth Test 50. Captain Mushqur Rahim came in to help Nazimuddin
move the score past 200 before the opener became Rehmans second victim of the morning, out for 78 when he was caught at mid-off by Saeed Ajmal. Moments later, Mahmudullah was bowled by Ajmal (2-74) for a duck as Pakistan began to turn up the heat but Mushqur made it to lunch on 34 in company with Elias Sunny. The spinner had got off the mark with an adventurous six and edged the third ball after lunch for four before settling down. Mushqur took two boundaries off Ajmal but fell one short of a half-century when he was trapped
plumb in front by Rehmans arm ball, giving the left-arm spinner gures of 4-88 to add to his 3-9 in Bangladeshs rst innings of 135. A Shahadat Hossain boundary took the decit below 200 and he found the ropes twice more before spooning a leading edge to Umar Gul at cover off Aizaz Cheema (2-40) eight deliveries after the new ball was taken. With Rubel Hossain absent, that spelled Bangladeshs 35th innings defeat in 73 Tests, with Sunny left 20 not out. Continued on page 26 >>
SHAHID Afridi has revealed that he refused to meet with convicted match-xer Mazhar Majeed after
hearing rumours about the agents rogue operations. Continued on page 26 >>
said that the thieves have taken away his laptop, passport and a bag containing credit cards and other documents, said the deputy
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