Suicide Bomber Blows Himself up in Karachi
Memo gate shakes Pakistan's political, military set-up
Malegaon 7 fight scar of terror tag
Despite political reform, Indonesia abuses persist
ATC acquits three sons of Sufi Muhammad Chief of Banned Outfit in Pak
US defence secretary goofs up, says India is an 'emerging threat'
Russia urges Syria to cease violence, start negotiations
Official: Syria agrees ‘in principle’ to observers
Arabs give Syria ultimatum
Militia warning as Libyan PM forms govt.
Libya’s revamped national army gets new chief
Syrian troops shells villages, Arab deadline looms
Thousands walk in Dubai to beat diabetes
Kuwaitis raid parliament
Thousands protest in Egypt's Tahrir against army rule
Blast kills four Afghan children: officials
Two British troops killed by bomb in Afghanistan
Terrorists blow up hospital in Shabqadar
Forces kill 37 terrorists in Kurram and Orakzai
US missiles kill eight in North Waziristan
All set for Sindh Cultural Day tomorrow
Zardari was ready to hand over 26/11 culprits to India: Secret memo
Pakistan telecoms authority to block 'obscene' texts
Memo gate: Ambassador Haqqani will give explanation, says Gilani
Army vs Zardari on his SOS to the US
Najib and Obama hold bilateral meeting
Obama meets Indian PM Manmohan Singh at summit
Argentina assures support to Pakistan in energy crisis
Russian military chief warns NATO of nuclear war risks
IAEA to send high-level team to Iran
White House shooting suspect charged with trying to kill Obama
Israel’s Barak ‘not very optimistic’ on Iran sanctions
I am a Pakistani, will die a Pakistani: Haqqani
Blast in Karachi during search operation
Azharuddin rubbishes Kambli's claim that 1996 World Cup semifinal was fixed
Compiled By New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/suicide-bomber-blows-himself-up-in-karachi/d/5938
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Suicide bomber blows himself up in Karachi
Nov 18, 2011,
KARACHI: A suicide bomber, suspected to be a foreigner, blew himself up on Friday during a search operation by the law enforcement agencies Gulistan-e-Jauhar area of the city.
The bomber blew himself when paramilitary rangers were carrying out a raid to arrest suspected terrorists.
"Apparently the man is a foreigner of Afghan or Czech origin but we are still investigating," a security official said.
Two days back five terrorists were killed in the Seaview beach area when they blew up a Suzuki van they were travelling in after being chased by police.
Two police officials were also killed in the exchange of gunfire.
Since August, the Police and Rangers have been conducting several operations against criminals and suspected target killers in the country's biggest city.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Suicide-bomber-blows-himself-up-in-Karachi/articleshow/10780961.cms?prtpage=1
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Memo gate shakes Pakistan's political, military set-up
Nov 18 2011,
Washington: The controversial secret memo to US from Pakistan President, being dubbed as 'Memo gate', that talks about creating a "new security team" has enraged the country's powerful generals and has put intense pressure on Asif Ali Zardari.
In the note written immediately after the May 2 American raid that killed al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, Zardari allegedly sought US help to stave off a feared military coup.
The note, given to then Chairman Chief of Staff Adm Mike Mullen by a Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, said the situation provided "a unique window of opportunity" for "civilians to gain the upper hand over army and intelligence directorates" implying that powerful army generals could be axed.
This has brewed a storm laying bare bare the profound divide between the army and civilian government and the nation's relationship with US which finds itself at the centre of the gulf, The Washington Post said.
Zardari's government has been leading Pakistan since 2008 but the real power remains in the hands of the military, which has ruled the country for half its 64-year existence and was livid after the US operation against bin Laden.
Though both the army and the civilian government receive billions of dollars in American assistance, the military views the United States, and its support for Zardari's unpopular administration, with deep distrust, the American media said.
Prodded by the military, Zaradri's critic are now demanding that the government provide a full account from where the memo originated, who authorised it and what it was designed to achieve.
"We have asked the government to come clean on the memogate," Financial Times daily quoted Pakistani lawmakers as demanding.
The saga has already taken its first victim, the presumed author of the note Pakistani Ambassador to US Husain Haqqani, who has send in his resignation to Zardari.
Back in Pakistan, the situation is seen as tense. Yesterday, Zardari met army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani for the second time in as many days, amid reports of tensions between the military and civilian government.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani too was present at the meeting.
This is not the first time that Zardari and Kayani have locked horns.
Way back in 2009, the two were at daggers drawn over approach to US on the Kerry-Lugar Bill on American aid to Pakistan.
At that time, Pakistan's 'The News' quoted Interior Minister Rehman Malik as having contacted top army brass assuring that the "President had no plans to remove General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani from the command of Pakistan Army".
Currently, the army is irked by the controversial note summarising that a military takeover in Pakistan would result in "potentially the platform for far more rapid spread of al-Qaeda's brand of fanaticism and terror".
It is also said to be enraged over subtle suggestions in the note which say that the army and the intelligence had a role in sheltering bin Laden and Taliban leaders.
The storm over memogate has pumped up an already feverish political climate with the country's best known diplomats, politicians and spy masters using the affair to push their competing agenda ahead of the early 2013 elections, US media reports contended.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/877621/
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Malegaon 7 fight scar of terror tag
By Aditi Raja in Malegaon
November 18, 2011
Freed accused return home and look to start life afresh after 5 years in jail
PLANTING evidence, forcing the accused to make false statements and denying alibis by not recording crucial statements of the witness who were with the accused, is how the Maharashtra ATS built its case against nine Muslim men for planting bombs that ripped through crowded areas of Malegaon, ahead of the festival of Shab-e-Baraat on September 8, 2006, killing 37 Muslims and injuring hundreds.
However, on November 16, as seven of the nine men walked out of prison on bail, the only thing they now want is exoneration.
“Can this system return the last five years of my life? Can they give me a chance to watch my children grow again?” asks Shabbir Ahmed Masiulla, 40, who was accused as the “mastermind” behind the Malegaon blasts.
The ludicrousness of the charge against him is that Shabbir was languishing in prison since August 2006, exactly a month before the actual Malegaon blasts. He had been arrested by the Mumbai crime branch for hatching a conspiracy to launch an attack in Mumbai during that year’s Ganesh Visarjan processions.
An FIR in this connection was lodged at Mumbai’s Ghatkopar police station, but he was alleged to have planned the bombings at Muslim religious places in Malegaon. Shabbir, who seemed blank and disoriented said: “Don’t ask me about the case.
I have no heart to recall it all. All I can say is that I am happy to be home and I am waiting for god to clear my name from this case.
” Shabbir’s house, which has been decked up to welcome him back, has been teeming with people — many of them strangers — who have just come to greet Shabbir and offer solidarity. “This experience has taught me how precious life is.
We were saying right from the beginning that we are innocent, but it was only after Aseemanand’s confession that the world recognised this truth. Since that day, for eleven months, we had been waiting for the court to grant us bail. And now, the battle is still on for an acquittal, which will come soon, Godwilling!” DR SALMAN Farsi, a Unani doctor who was arrested from his Mumbai residence in November 2006, said:
These five years were a horror. I would never want to relive them again.
” For Farsi, the battle is only half won. “The real victory will be the day the court exonerates us of all the charges,” Farsi said, hoping that things do not go wrong again, while on bail.
Farsi, a “hafiz” (someone who knows the Quran by heart) and the son of a respected religious leader in the community, said even after his arrest in the case, the police kept harassing his wife Nafeesa, who had continued to live in Mumbai for three years after his arrest. “The police would visit my home at any time, day or night, and torture Nafeesa asking for my whereabouts while I was in judicial custody. It was only when Nafeesa threatened to commit suicide along with our three children and leave a note about the police torture that they stepped back.
I had also appealed to the court to restrain the police. My family’s life was hell and I felt helpless in prison,” he said.
Nafeesa moved to Malegaon with her children two years ago, where the couple’s family is based. She set up her home and a clinic in the small town.
Farsi knows that their three children, who were used to the city life, are making peace with the town-life for the sake of their father.
Farsi, who studied law while in prison, also argued a major part of the case (for all nine accused) along with co-accused Farogh Makhdomi. “These five years have taken away a lot from me. But it has been less than a day since I have come to my ‘new’ home and I am going to pick up the pieces of my life and build it again.
I only pray that things look up from here so that we can have a life of peace,” Farsi said, adding: “My daughter’s name Mutmainnah in Arabic means a woman who brings ‘peace’.
That is all I want in my life.” For the family of another accused, Abrar Ahmed, it is time to be close to each other and heal the wounds of torture that the 41- year-old had underwent in prison, with love and care.
It was on Abrar’s alleged testimony that the Mumbai ATS had built the case against all other accused. Abrar’s father Ghulam Saeed Khan, a freedom fighter and a former municipal councillor, said Abrar fell for the conspiracy hatched by his in-laws and the police.
Abrar’s wife and in-laws allegedly took money from the ATS sleuths and made him testify against the other accused.
Saeed claimed that the police took Abrar around religious places in Nashik and clicked his photographs with some members of an RSS faction to manufacture evidence against him.
“When Abrar realised he was being trapped, he contacted us and asked for forgiveness as he wanted to return home clean. That is when his elder brother Jaleel Ahmed (who was his lawyer in the case), took up his case and asked him to retract from his confession,” said Saeed, who now runs a business of textile machinery.
Dr Farsi, son of a respected religious leader, said even after his arrest in the case, the police kept harassing his wife Nafeesa, who was living in Mumbai for three years
‘FRAMED’TO FREEDOM
Planting evidence, forcing the accused to make false statements and denying alibis by not recording crucial statements of the witness who were with the accused, is how the Maharashtra ATS built its case against the nine accused in the Malegaon blasts case
In an internal note the CBI, in April, told the National Investigation Agency that the nine men were innocent and that the members of the right-wing group arrested in 2010 should be probed for the blasts
The review came after Swami Aseemanand’s confession in January. The case was re-investigated.
Aseemanand later retracted his statement that right-wing groups were involved in the blasts
The special MCOCA court, hearing the case, finally granted the accused bail
They have already spent five years behind bars and now face an uphill task to remove the terror stigma from
http://epaper.mailtoday.in/epaperhome.aspx?issue=18112011
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Despite political reform, Indonesia abuses persist
By Michael Holtz
November 18, 2011
PAPUA, INDONESIA— Indonesia, hosting President Obama and other world leaders this week, has earned praise for democratic reforms achieved since longtime dictator Suharto was ousted a decade ago.
However, a man serving 15 years in prison for raising a flag wants the dignitaries to know that “democracy is a lie” in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
In remote corners of the archipelago, dozens of demonstrators have been killed in recent months, and anti-government activists are thrown in jail for peacefully expressing their views.
There are at least 100 political prisoners, most in Papua province and the Molucca islands, many of whom complain of being tortured or psychologically abused by guards.
“Indonesia says, ‘We’re brothers. We’re equal,’ But you see? It’s meaningless,” said Filep Karma, a prominent political prisoner with nine years left on his sentence. “Our democracy is a lie.”
The 52-year-old father of two spoke to the Associated Press late last month from a location he insisted remain secret, after being granted a brief release from prison to get medical attention.
Outside the building where he spoke, convoys of troops rumbled down the road and soldiers stood on street corners with rifles hanging from their shoulders. Inside, others in the room nervously checked doors and windows.
Overall, the nation of 240 million has made great strides since Suharto’s day, with a vibrant free press, a much improved human rights record and direct elections of its leaders.
For Mr. Obama, who arrives Thursday for the East Asia Summit, the country he once called home is also potentially a counterweight to China's growing military and economic influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Washington has been aggressively wooing Indonesia. Last year, the Obama administration ended restrictions last year on working with an Indonesian special-forces unit accused of some of the worst atrocities during East Timor’s independence struggle in the 1990s.
The ban, hugely embarrassing to Jakarta, was the final obstacle to normalizing military ties.
Abuses continue, however, in areas including Papua, where the government has struggled to put down a low-level insurgency that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, most at the hands of the military, according to civil rights workers.
“It’s Indonesia’s dirty little secret that they still put people like Filep Karma behind bars,” said Elaine Pearson of the New York-based Human Rights Watch.
Mob violence against religious minorities is also on the rise.
The international community shares some of the blame because of eagerness to present the nation as a democratic success story, Ms. Pearson said.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/nov/17/despite-political-reform-indonesia-abuses-persist/
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ATC acquits three sons of Sufi Muhammad Chief of Banned Outfit in Pak
November 18, 2011
SWAT: The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Thursday acquitted three sons of the chief of banned outfit Tehreek-e-Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM), Maulana Sufi Muhammad. Judge Asim Imam acquitted Abdullah, Abdur Rehman and Fazlullah, who were charged by the Saidu Sharif police with treason, terrorism and murder, after the prosecution failed to prove its case. The accused were charged by the Saidu Sharif police under various sections of laws including the Anti-Terrorism Act on February 16, 2008. The police officials, however, said that the accused were only acquitted in cases registered against them by the Saidu Sharif police station and were still in police custody in connection to other cases. app
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\18\story_18-11-2011_pg7_2
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US defence secretary goofs up, says India is an 'emerging threat'
Nov 18, 2011,
New US defence secretary Leon Panetta clubbed India and China, describing them as emerging "threats", but his office quickly retracted the remarks.
WASHINGTON: In a major goof, new US defence secretary Leon Panetta clubbed India and China, describing them as emerging "threats", but his office quickly retracted the remarks, saying Washington strongly values close ties with New Delhi.
Panetta put his foot in the mouth as he departed from prepared text during a speech at a shipyard in Connecticut, where he said, "we face the threats from rising powers - China, India, others - that we have to always be aware of and try to make sure that we always have sufficient force protection out there in the Pacific to make sure they know we're never going anywhere."
The defence secretary's comments came at an awkward moment just when President Barack Obama met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the two leaders agreed to boost ties not only bilaterally but at multilateral level also.
For Full Report :
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-defence-secretary-Leon-Panetta-goofs-up-says-India-is-an-emerging-threat/articleshow/10781790.cms
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Russia urges Syria to cease violence, start negotiations
November 18, 2011
BEIRUT — Syria's allies in Russia called for urgent talks Thursday between Damascus and the opposition, saying an attack by Syrian renegade troops on a government building looks like the start of a civil war.
President Bashar Assad is facing severe international isolation stemming from his crackdown on an 8-month-old uprising, which the U.N. estimates has killed 3,500 people. The Arab League suspended Damascus on Wednesday and threatened economic sanctions if the violence continues.
Activists said at least nine civilians, including a child, were killed by security forces on Thursday.
For Full Report :
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/nov/17/russia-urges-syria-to-cease-violence-start-negotia/print/
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Official: Syria agrees ‘in principle’ to observers
By Elizabeth A. Kennedy
November 18, 2011
BEIRUT (AP) — Syria has agreed “in principle” to allow an Arab League observer mission into the country, but Damascus was still studying the details, a senior Syrian official said Friday.
The 22-member Arab League formally suspended Damascus this week over its crackdown on an 8-month-old uprising, which the U.N. estimates has killed more than 3,500 people. The group wants to send hundreds of observers to the country to try to help end the bloodshed.
The Syrian official said Damascus has agreed to the mission but was still going over the details of the deal. The official asked not to be named because the issue is so sensitive.
Arab League officials in Cairo, the seat of the 22-member organization, could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday.
For Full Report :
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/nov/18/official-syria-agrees-principle-observers/
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Arabs give Syria ultimatum
November 18, 2011
Arab leaders gave three days ultimatum to the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to halt "bloody repression" on protesters as Russia attributes Syrian army defectors atrocity on a intelligence base 'a civil war'.
Arab leaders shouted that their patience was running out and gave Damascus "three days to stop the bloody repression", Qatar's prime minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem Al-Thani said.
"But if Damascus does not agree to cooperate with the League, sanctions will be adopted against Syria," he told a news conference.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, "The cost for the Syrian administration of not fulfilling the promises it made to the Arab League is its isolation in the Arab world as well".
The unprecedented movement against Assad's rule had been spearheaded by peaceful demonstrators but, in recent months, deserters have organised themselves into a Free Syrian Army that has inflicted growing losses on the regular armed forces.
For Full Report :
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=210593
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Militia warning as Libyan PM forms govt.
18 November 2011
TRIPOLI - A commander of Libyan former rebels has warned that his men could overthrow the incoming government if it fails to meet their demands for representation.
The credibility of the threat, made by Tripoli militia leader Abdullah Naker in a Reuters interview, was hard to assess in a city where the balance of forces, three months after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, is obscure and fluid.
Critics dismissed it as posturing. But it highlighted the tensions, and the high stakes, on Thursday as Abdurrahim El-Keib, the U.S.-trained engineering professor nominated as interim prime minister by the National Transitional Council, tries to agree a cabinet line-up by a Tuesday deadline.
“We are still here on the ground and the final decision will be ours,” said Naker, speaking late on Wednesday at his base in the headquarters of a state-owned construction company as some of the thousands of armed men he says he has at his disposal prepared for night-time security patrols in the city.
For Full Report :
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/international/2011/November/international_November690.xml§ion=international&col=
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Libya’s revamped national army gets new chief
November 18, 2011
AL-BAIDA: Commanders who defected from Muammar Gaddafi’s armed forces in the heat of the civil uprising named a new chief on Thursday, presenting the new Libyan authorities with a done-deal. Some 150 officers and sub-officers, gathered in the eastern city of Al-Baida, unanimously approved the appointment of Khalifa Haftar and announced the re-activation of the army, which has yet to be officially reconstituted.
“Participants agreed to choose Major General Khalifa Belgacem Haftar as commander in chief of the national army due to his seniority, experience and capacity to command troops as well as the efforts he made to support the February 17 revolution,” said General Fraj Bunseira, head of Al-Baida’s military council.
The nomination is to be presented for approval to the head of the governing National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, Bunseira told an audience of senior military officers. The announcement was welcomed by applause and cries of “God is greatest.” But it was met with silence in the capital. Abdelhakim Belhaj, the influential commander of Tripoli’s military council, told AFP he had not heard of the news and declined to make any immediate comment.
For Full Report :
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\18\story_18-11-2011_pg7_31
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Syrian troops shells villages, Arab deadline looms
November 18, 2011
The assault came a day after the Arab League suspended Syria and gave it until the end of the week to comply with an Arab peace plan to end a crackdown on the revolt that has killed more than 3,500 people, by a United Nations count.
Along with mostly peaceful street protests demanding Assad’s removal, an armed insurgency has emerged, prompting calls by opposition leaders for protesters to stick to non-violence in face of an escalating crackdown.
Eight villagers were injured overnight when tank shells and heavy mortars fell for three hours on Tal Minnij and Maarshamsheh and surrounding farmland, the activists said.
“Hundreds of families have left. Electricity and Internet services have been cut off,” said one of the activists who gave his first name as Raed.
It was not possible to confirm the shelling independently.
For Full Report :
http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/18/syrian-troops-shells-villages-arab-deadline-looms.html
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Thousands walk in Dubai to beat diabetes
November 18, 2011
DUBAI - Thousands of residents woke up at the break of dawn on Friday to head down to Oasis Centre in time to support the ‘Beat Diabetes’ Walkathon.
The third edition of the annual awareness campaign, organised by Landmark Group, saw participants of all ages donning blue t-shirts and the crowd was prepped up with a musical session by Dubai Drums and warm-up session from Fitness First trainers before finally setting off on a 3.1 kilometres stroll at 8am.
Popular cricket icon, Wasim Akram, who suffers from Type 1 diabetes, was present among the walkers as a symbol of encouragement.
“We had received about 9,000 registrations until last night (Thu-Nov-18) and this morning we had about 1500 more register on-site.
We reckon it’s close to about 12,000 people. It’s brilliant to see so many people turn up on a Friday morning and it’s endearing that they are willing to know more about diabetes and are supporting the cause,” said Bhuvana Acharya, Head of Corporate Communications and CSR, Landmark Group.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2011/November/theuae_November498.xml§ion=theuae
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Kuwaitis raid parliament
November 18, 2011
The Amir of Kuwait ordered the national guard and security forces to take all necessary measures to maintain security after angry protesters stormed the Gulf state’s parliament.
KUWAIT- The Amir of Kuwait, His Highness Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, on Thursday ordered the national guard and security forces to take all necessary measures, including arrests, to maintain security after angry protesters stormed the Gulf state’s parliament.
Shaikh Sabah issued the order in a statement by the cabinet which held an emergency meeting a day after opposition-led protesters calling for the premier’s resignation over alleged graft broke into the assembly.
The Amir “ordered the interior ministry and the national guards to take all measures and preparations necessary to confront whatever undermines the security of the country and public order”, said the statement.
Forces were ordered to be “provided with all authority necessary to ensure security and the application of the law... to put an end to such shameful provocative acts,” it added without specifying what measures would be taken.
For Full Report :
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2011/November/middleeast_November435.xml§ion=middleeast
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Thousands protest in Egypt's Tahrir against army rule
By Marwa Awad
November 18, 2011
CAIRO (Reuters) - Over 50,000 Egyptian protesters flocked to Cairo's Tahrir square on Friday to pressure the military government to transfer power to elected civilian rule, after the cabinet tried to enshrine the army's role in a constitutional proposal.
The protesters, mostly bearded men and veiled women, sang religious chants before Friday prayers while others handed out flyers demanding the withdrawal of the constitutional proposal and presidential elections be held no later than April 2012.
"Does the government want to humiliate the people? The people revolted against Mubarak and they will revolt against the constitution they want to impose on us," a member of an orthodox Islamic Salafi group cried out over loud speakers, to the cheers of thousands of protesters.
The mass rally recalled the demonstrations in Tahrir square during the 18-day bloody uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak on February 18.
Parliamentary elections on November 28 could be disrupted if political parties and the government fail to resolve a dispute over proposed articles that shield the army from oversight in parliament, potentially allowing it to defy an elected government.
Over 39 political parties and groups said in a joint statement they would rally "to protect democracy and the transfer of power" after negotiations broke down between Islamist groups and the cabinet.
For Full Report :
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/11/18/worldupdates/2011-11-18T112533Z_1_TRE7AH0WZ_RTROPTT_0_UK-EGYPT-PROTEST-ARMY&sec=Worldupdates
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Blast kills four Afghan children: officials
November 18, 2011
The blast in Nangarhar province is the latest reminder of the high death toll suffered by civilians in the current war since the 2001 US-led invasion ousted the Taliban from power.
“Four chidren were killed and six others were slightly injured as a result of roadside bomb explosion,” said Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar. “The incident took place around 9:30 am.” But the interior ministry said the explosion was caused by a mortar apparently left over from Afghanistan’s decades of war.
Afghanistan faced years of conflict before 2001 and explosive devices dating from this period regularly cause deaths and injuries, often to curious children.
However, most bombings are linked to an insurgency being waged by the extremist Taliban.
The United Nations said the number of civilians killed in the war during the first half of this year rose 15 per cent to 1,462, with insurgents responsible for 80 per cent of the deaths.
There are around 140,000 international troops, mainly from the United States, in Afghanistan helping government forces combat a Taliban-led insurgency.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/18/blast-kills-four-afghan-children-officials.html
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Two British troops killed by bomb in Afghanistan
November 18, 2011
The soldiers from the 1st The Queen’s Dragoons Guards were on a security patrol in the Yakchal region of Nahr-e Saraj, in troubled Helmand province when they were killed, it said in a statement.
Their deaths bring to 388 the number of British troops killed since operations in Afghanistan began in October 2001. Of these, at least 343 were killed in combat.
They are the 39th and 40th British soldiers to die this year in Afghanistan, and their deaths come the day after another British soldier was killed by an improvised explosive device in Helmand.
The ministry said their next of kin had been informed.
Britain has around 9,500 troops in Afghanistan, making it the second-largest contributor to the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force.
They are based in central Helmand, battling Taliban insurgents and training local security forces.
http://www.dawn.com/2011/11/17/two-british-troops-killed-by-bomb-in-afghanistan.html
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Terrorists blow up hospital in Shabqadar
November 18, 2011
SHABQADAR: Unidentified terrorists blew up a Basic Health Unit (BHU) with explosives late Wednesday night. Police said that the terrorists had planted explosives at the main gate of the BHU which went off with a big bang. The building of the BHU was partially damaged but the boundary wall and gate were completely destroyed in the blast. Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) officials said that two kilogrammes of explosives were used in the blast. Police reached the spot and arrested the watchman of BHU and started investigation. It is pertinent to mention here that the same BHU was blown up by terrorists in January. inp
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\18\story_18-11-2011_pg7_8
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Forces kill 37 terrorists in Kurram and Orakzai
November 18, 2011
PARACHINAR: Security forces shot dead 12 terrorists during a search operation in central Kurram Agency on Thursday, sources said. The clashes occurred in Amlok Dogar area wherein two security personnel also sustained minor wounds. The forces targeted terrorist’s hideouts in central Kurram. Pakistani security forces pounded terrorist hideouts in the Orakzai tribal area separately, killing 25 suspected terrorists, said Mohammed Saleem, a local government administrator. agencies
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\18\story_18-11-2011_pg7_5
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US missiles kill eight in North Waziristan
November 18, 2011
PESHAWAR: Suspected US drones fired four missiles at a home in the Ramzak area of North Waziristan near the Afghan border on Thursday, killing eight alleged terrorists in the third such strike in as many days, intelligence officials said.
Elsewhere in the tribal region, security forces pounded terrorists’ hideouts in two different areas, killing 37 of them, said the government officials. The figures could not be independently verified because of the difficulty of reporting in the tribal region.
The US has conducted around 200 drone strikes in North Waziristan in recent years, mostly targeting al Qaeda terrorists and Afghan Taliban fighters. The US does not acknowledge the CIA-run drone programme in Pakistan publicly, but officials have said privately that the strikes have killed many senior al Qaeda and Taliban commanders.
For Full Report :
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\18\story_18-11-2011_pg7_4
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All set for Sindh Cultural Day tomorrow
By Asghar Azad
November 18, 2011
KARACHI: The dwellers of Sindh are all set to celebrate their cultural day on Nov 19 (tomorrow) as a number of men, women, youth and elders from different literary and social organisations remained busy arranging special programmes such as musical nights, rallies, Mushairas and cultural wrestling ‘Malakhro’ in several cities.
In this connection several media channels have also arranged a musical and cultural night in front of Karachi Press Club. All political parties, especially nationalist parties, have also organised several programmes across Sindh. Sindh Cultural Day originated three years ago when an anchorperson of a private TV channel criticised President Asif Ali Zardari for wearing Shalwar Kameez and Sindhi Topi (cap) on his visit to Afghanistan. Ever since, Sindhi media groups have celebrated the day as ‘Sindh Cultural Day’ on Dec 4 every year. Talking to Daily Times, a member of Sindh Media Forum (SMF) Muneer Saqi informed that the event was being celebrated earlier, on Nov 19, as contemporary date was falling in Muharram.
For Full Report :
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\18\story_18-11-2011_pg7_29
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Zardari was ready to hand over 26/11 culprits to India: Secret memo
Nov 18, 2011,
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari
WASHINGTON: Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari was so scared of a military coup after Osama bin Laden's death that he was ready to create a "new security team" favourable to Americans and promised the US to hand over Pak-based 26/11 perpetrators including those from its intelligence agency to India.
The promises were part of a secret memo to the then Chairman of the Joint US Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen.
The secret memo from Zardari, was apparently handed over to Mullen by Mansoor Ijaz, a Pakistani-American businessman, in May this year in the aftermath of the May 2 killing of bin Laden in a safe house in Abbottabad.
The information about this secret memo was first leaked by Ijaz himself in an op-ed in the Financial Times last month.
According to this memo, Zardari, leading a civilian government wanted to create a new national security structure.
Ijaz has claimed that this memo was drafted by the Pak Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani, who has denied these allegations, but has tendered his resignation to Zardari over the same.
For Full Report :
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Zardari-was-ready-to-hand-over-26/11-culprits-to-India-Secret-mem
o/articleshow/10778941.cms?prtpage=1
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Pakistan telecoms authority to block 'obscene' texts
November 18, 2011
Mobile phone companies Telenor Pakistan and Ufone confirmed to the BBC that the PTA has sent them a "dictionary" of banned words and expressions.
The PTA has reportedly ordered operators to begin screening text messages by 21 November.
Ufone say they are now working on how to block the offending words.
A letter dated 14 November, apparently written by Muhammad Talib Doger, an official at the PTA, has been leaked to Pakistani media.
It states that mobile phone operators should begin screening the words, provided on a list attached to the letter, within seven days.
"We have received both the dictionary and the memo and we're discussing a way forward," said Anjum Nida Rahman, corporate communications director for Telenor Pakistan.
"Nobody would like this happening to their young boy or girl," he said. He added that the list was not finished and that the authority would continue to add to it.
'What am I missing?'
An unconfirmed version of the PTA's list is being circulated online, containing hundreds of words and expressions in both English and Urdu.
According to this version, the entries range from those too obscene to repeat to the bizarre.
Some of the choices on the list have baffled Pakistani mobile phone users, many of whom have taken to Twitter to ridicule the move.
For Full Report :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15772292
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Memo gate: Ambassador Haqqani will give explanation, says Gilani
By Atika Rehman
November 18, 2011
ISLAMABAD: In the wake of the leaked memo controversy, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on Friday told members of the National Assembly that Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani has been summoned to Islamabad to provide an explanation to the country’s leadership.
A memo was published online by foreign news papers, which alleged fears of a military coup in Pakistan and the army’s complicity in the Osama bin Laden raid. The memo was allegedly delivered to US Adm Mike Mullen by a Pakistani American businessman Mansoor Ijaz at the behest of Ambassador Haqqani in the week after the Bin Laden raid.
Haqqani, who has served as Pakistan’s representative to the US since 2008, denied that he had either drafted or delivered any memo. Referring to Mansoor Ijaz indirectly, the Ambassador said, “There are many businessmen in this world who claim to have a role in a country’s affairs, but they are not given importance. In Pakistan, however, one man’s claims create a crisis.”
Mullen on Thursday dropped a bombshell when he issued a statement confirming the existence of the document.
For Full Report :
http://tribune.com.pk/story/293866/memogate-ambassador-haqqani-will-give-explanation-says-gilani/?print=true
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Army vs Zardari on his SOS to the US
November 18, 2011
by Najam Sethi
AN ARTICLE in a British paper last month by Mansoor Ijaz, a Pakistani- American businessman with political connections in Washington, has taken a toll of the civilian government of President Asif Zardari in Islamabad. The irony is that it was written to strengthen Mr Zardari against encroachments by General Ashfaq Kayani.
Mr Ijaz claims that shortly after the US Navy Seal raid to extract OBL from Abbottabad on May 2, the Zardari government felt threatened by General Kayani and sought out Mr Ijaz to convey its insecurity to Admiral Mike Mullen, the then Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff and avowed “ friend” of General Kayani, to fend off a possible coup. Accordingly, with the help of a top Pakistani diplomat close to President Zardari, Mr Ijaz drafted and dispatched a secret “ memo” portraying the Pakistani military as being part of the problem rather than the solution to America’s dilemma in Afghanistan. Interestingly, the “ article” also paints the Pakistani military in negative light and exhorts the Obama administration to start wielding the stick instead of offering carrots to it.
For Full Report :
http://epaper.mailtoday.in/epaperhome.aspx?issue=18112011
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Najib and Obama hold bilateral meeting
November 18, 2011
NUSA DUA (BALI): Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and United States President Barack Obama held a bilateral meeting on Friday on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit, which is scheduled to begin here on Saturday.
In his opening statement, Obama said the bilateral meeting would allow both countries to discuss how they could best use the East Asia Summit to ensure shared prosperity and shared security across the region.
He said the relationship between the US and Malaysia was strong, which was seen on issues like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
"I appreciate the extraordinary cooperation that we received ..., we want to be a strong partner with Malaysia," he said.
The US President said Najib's leadership had continued to boost Malaysia's economic growth. Meanwhile, Najib in his statement said Malaysia was looking forward to expanding the trade and investment linkages with the TPP.
"Hopefully, we can meet the deadline next year. We see great prospect in terms of enhancing trade and investment between our two countries. We look forward to working in other areas as well," he said.
For Full Report :
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/11/18/nation/20111118172548&sec=nation
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Obama meets Indian PM Manmohan Singh at summit
November 18, 2011
Indian PM Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama have met on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit.
This is the first meeting between the two leaders since Mr Obama visited India a year ago.
Mr Singh said India had "gone some way" to respond to concerns of US companies with its nuclear liability law.
The US agreed a landmark energy deal with India in 2008, but since then US private firms have struggled.
The US sees India's new nuclear liability law as too tough on nuclear plant suppliers, which has made it hard for US firms to compete with their state-owned French and Russian competitors.
Under the law, the government-owned operator of a nuclear plant can go to court in the event of an accident and force suppliers of material, equipment or services to pay compensation, if negligence is established.
For Full Report :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-15786923
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Argentina assures support to Pakistan in energy crisis
November 18, 2011
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Argentina would extend its all-out support to Pakistan for overcoming prevailing energy crisis in the country, said Argentinian Ambassador Rodolfo J. Martin Sravia here on Thursday.
During his meeting with National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza, the ambassador expressed his country’s desire to utilize huge economic and human resource potential in Pakistan.
Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza said that Pakistan attaches immense importance to Argentine added that the existing 60-year old warm relations between the two countries need to be taken up to new heights through economic and parliamentary cooperation. She appreciated Argentinean support in energy sector, however, stressed for exploring other avenues of cooperation between the two countries.
Reciprocating to the sentiments of Madam Speaker, the Rodolfo J Martin Sravia, Ambassador said that his country also attaches great significance to Pakistan and wants to see a stable and prosperous country. He said that his country strongly desires to enhance parliamentary relations between both the countries.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\18\story_18-11-2011_pg7_14
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Russian military chief warns NATO of nuclear war risks
November 18, 2011
MOSCOW: Russia is facing a heightened risk of being drawn into conflicts at its borders that have the potential of turning nuclear, the nation’s top military officer said Thursday. Gen Nikolai Makarov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, cautioned over NATO’s expansion eastward and warned that the risks of Russia being pulled into local conflicts have “risen sharply.” Makarov added, according to Russian news agencies, “Under certain conditions local and regional conflicts may develop into a full-scale war involving nuclear weapons.” A steady decline in Russia’s conventional forces has prompted the Kremlin to rely increasingly on its nuclear deterrent. The nation’s military doctrine says it may use nuclear weapons to counter a nuclear attack on Russia or an ally, or a large-scale conventional attack that threatens Russia’s existence. ap
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\18\story_18-11-2011_pg7_10
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IAEA to send high-level team to Iran
IANS | Nov 18, 2011,
VIENNA: The International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) will send its high-level team to Tehran to hold talks with the Iranian government over its controversial nuclear programme, Xinhua reported.
The IAEA mission will be headed by its Deputy Director Herman Nackaerts, said Yukiya Amano, the IAEA's chief, while talking to reporters after opening an IAEA board meeting in Vienna Thursday.
Although there is still no time frame for initiating the dialogue, but a delay will be "inappropriate", said Amano, adding that the talks will not only help allay international concerns, but also be in the interests of Iran.
In his opening speech of the board meeting, Amano asked Iran to engage substantively with the IAEA without delay and provide the requested clarifications regarding possible military dimensions to its nuclear program.
For Full Report :
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/IAEA-to-send-high-level-team-to-Iran/articleshow/10777024.cms?prtpage=1
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White House shooting suspect charged with trying to kill Obama
Nov 18 2011,
Washington : A 21-year-old Hispanic man who allegedly called US President Barack Obama the "devil" and the "anti-Christ" has been charged with attempting to assassinate him by firing shots at the White House.
Oscar Ortega-Hernandez was produced before a US federal court in Pittsburgh yesterday, a day after he was arrested by the police from a hotel in Pennsylvania. He could face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.
Two witnesses who know Ortega-Hernandez well said he had described Obama as the "devil" and the "anti-Christ," according to the criminal complaint.
The US secret service has started an investigation into the incident.
Secret service says shots fired by Ortega-Hernandez from a distant Constitution Avenue and 17th street hit the windows of the White House, the residential area where the US President lives.
For Full Report :
http://www.indianexpress.com/story-print/877552/
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Israel’s Barak ‘not very optimistic’ on Iran sanctions
17 NOVEMBER 2011
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on Wednesday, ahead of a meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog, that he was “not very optimistic” about the prospects of strong new sanctions against Iran.
“I’m not very optimistic —there are difficulties in mobilising will in the world. That’s why we’re working to convince foreign leaders to impose strong and concrete sanctions to stop Iran,” Barak told Israeli public radio.
Speaking from Ottawa, where he is on a visit, Barak said that Iran’s nuclear programme “is not directed solely at Israel, but against the entire world order”.
“Today there is an important meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, and we should not appear to be a country that whines, that is afraid, but simply stress that Iran has launched a challenge to the whole world... And the world must move,” Barak said.
“No option should be taken off the table, which is also the position of the Europeans and Americans, but I think that I should not say anything more at this stage,” Barak added in an interview with Israeli army radio.
The IAEA board was due to begin a two-day meeting at its headquarters in Vienna today, with Iran’s nuclear programme expected to top the agenda.
After a damning report from the body that said there was “credible” information Iran was carrying out “activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device,” the meeting was expected to produce a resolution criticising Tehran.
http://www.dailypioneer.com/world/21147-israels-barak-not-very-optimistic-on-iran-sanctions.html
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I am a Pakistani, will die a Pakistani: Haqqani
By Jeffrey Goldberg
November 18, 2011
I just spoke with Husain Haqqani, the embattled Pakistani ambassador to the U.S., who is the target of yet-another attempt by the Pakistani military and its intelligence branch, the ISI, to smear him in a continuing attempt to seize control of Pakistan’s foreign policy from the country’s civilian leadership. The latest scandal is almost incidental to the main theme: The Pakistani military’s unwillingness to allow Pakistan’s civilian, elected government — represented in Washington by Ambassador Haqqani — to function as Pakistan’s actual leadership.
Haqqani has offered President Zardari his resignation, but it has not been accepted, and Haqqani (despite Indian and Pakistani media reports to the contrary) is still in Washington and still functioning as ambassador. He says he is not seeking political asylum in the U.S. (as has also been reported) and he said he will return to Islamabad to consult with President Zardari when the president instructs him to do so. In our conversation, he was in good spirits and seemed simultaneously bemused and defiant: “I am a Pakistani, I will die a Pakistani,” he said, when I asked him if he was going to seek asylum in the U.S. “I’ve lived in the United States so many years without seeking citizenship, and this is because I have a love for Pakistan.
For Full Report :
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2011\11\18\story_18-11-2011_pg7_28
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Blast in Karachi during search operation
By Reuters
November 18, 2011
KARACHI: A suspected suicide bomber blew himself up in a Karachi neighbourhood on Friday during a search operation by the paramilitary Rangers, an official said.
There was no immediate report of any other damage.
A man blew himself up in an apartment in Gulistan-e-Johar area, due to fear of getting arrested.
The Ranger’s personnel investigating the scene said the man has been identified to be a foreigner, but no other detail regarding his identity has yet been established. Initial reports suggested that the man was a foreigner, but SP Asad Chaudhry said this could not be confirmed
Police officials took the alleged bomber’s his wife and children under custody and the investigations are under way.
Police and Rangers have been conducting several operations against criminals and suspected target killers in the country’s biggest city, and have arrested dozens of people in recent weeks.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/293859/blast-in-karachi-during-search-operation/?print=true
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Azharuddin rubbishes Kambli's claim that 1996 World Cup semifinal was fixed
PTI | Nov 18, 2011,
NEW DELHI: Former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin on Friday lashed out at Vinod Kambli for hinting that India's 1996 World Cup semifinal match could have been fixed, saying the allegations have been made by a person who lacks character and were "absolutely rubbish".
"Absolutely rubbish, whatever he (Kambli) is talking. He doesn't know what he is talking, when you have people who have no character and no background come on TV and talk absolute rubbish in front of the nation and demeaning all the players who played in the team, it is totally disrespectful and its very sad," a livid Azhar told reporters.
Azhar, who was the Indian captain at that time, said the decision to field first was a collective decision. "May be when he was sitting in the meeting, he must have been sleeping," he added.
For Full Report :
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/Azharuddin-rubbishes-Kamblis-claim-that-1996-World-Cup-semifinal-was-fixed/articleshow/10780115.cms
URL: http://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/suicide-bomber-blows-himself-up-in-karachi/d/5938