AIPAC pushing for new Iran sanctions bill?

Influential Israeli lobby group in the US, AIPAC is to push for a newly crafted resolution designed to choke off Iranian gas imports. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which is scheduled to hold its annual conference next week, said the introduction of a new bill against Iran's gasoline trade on Tuesday is no coincidence. "It's no coincidence that the bills, which are strongly backed by AIPAC, are "dropping" into Congress for consideration this week, having 6,000 conference-goers press for their passage next Tuesday is bound to give them a turbo boost," the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) said on Monday. The agency, which serves Jewish newspapers and media around the world, said on Sunday that "thousands of AIPAC lobbyists" would "tumble out of buses to make sure" the bill passes. One week after American lawmakers in the US House of Representatives introduced the 'Iran Diplomatic Enhancement Act', a bipartisan slate of US senators on Tuesday tabled a similar bill, seeking to put an end to Iran's low-level nuclear activities by targeting the country's gasoline trade. The bill, which is slated to be introduced by Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) -- an uber-Israel supporter -- advocates the imposition of tough sanctions against countries that sell refined petroleum, including gasoline, to Iran. The conference, which will see Israel's ceremonial president, Shimon Peres representing Tel Aviv, excludes those opposed to such measures against Iran. “Policy theorists in Washington who reject isolating Iran as counterproductive are absent from the conference schedule," the report added. Branded as “ the most important organization affecting America's relationship with Israel" by the New York Times, AIPAC has been criticized for its “distorted American foreign policy in favor of Israel.” AIPAC is a "de facto agent for a foreign government", whose "success is due to its ability to reward legislators and congressional candidates who support its agenda, and to punish those who challenge it," University of Chicago professor John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt from the Harvard University argue in their book: The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy. Former President Jimmy Carter has also accused AIPAC of putting enormous pressure on politicians running for office who do not share AIPAC's goals. In 1992, the group's then president David Steiner was forced to resign after he was recorded boasting about his political influence in obtaining aid for Israel. Steiner claimed to be "negotiating" with the incoming Clinton administration over who Clinton would appoint as Secretary of State and Director of the National Security Agency AIPAC members have also been linked to espionage cases, involving their role in gathering and disclosing classified national security information to Israel. In 2005, AIPAC policy director Steven Rosen and AIPAC senior Iran analyst Keith Weissman were indicted for passing along secret US documents to Israel in violation of the 1917 Espionage Act.

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Explosion kills UK soldier in Afghanistan

The British Defense Ministry has announced that one of its soldiers has been killed in a bomb explosion in southern Afghanistan. The ministry isssued a statement on Tuesday saying that the soldier was killed while patrolling along with members of the Afghan army near Forward Operating Base Keenan in Helmand. "It is with great sadness that the Ministry of Defense must confirm that a British soldier from 1st Battalion Welsh Guards has been killed," the statement said as quoted by AFP. "Despite the very best efforts of his colleagues around him, he was killed instantly as a result of an explosion, the cause of which is being investigated," it added. Tuesday's incident increased the death toll of British soldiers in the war-torn country to 153 since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

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Trio acquitted of London 7/7 charges

A British jury has cleared three men of charges of conspiring with four suicide bombers who killed 52 people in London's 2005 suicide bombings. Waheed Ali, Sadeer Saleem, and Mohammed Shakil were acquitted of the most serious offenses at the Kingston Crown Court Tuesday, but two of them were found guilty for lesser charges. The carefully collected evidence against them was largely circumstantial, and could not finally persuade the British jurors of their alleged guilt. Four bombers and 52 commuters died in the attacks on July 7, 2005 when bombers set off bombs they carried in sacks on three subway trains and a double-decker bus. Ali and Shakil will be jailed Wednesday for a second charge of "conspiring to attend a terror training camp". Ali, 25, Shakil, 32, and Saleem, 28, who had been accused of collaborating with the suicide bombers, were the only people ever charged for the deadly bombings, and their acquittals mean that no one has been legally held accountable for the attacks. In a statement, Saleem accused police and prosecutors of charging him based on "guilt by association". "I am indebted to these 12 courageous individuals who have now cleared my name and allowed me the opportunity of seeing my children grow up," he said in the statement. This is the latest blow to British authorities who have been forced to release Muslims after arresting them on terrorism charges amid much publicity, only to be forced to release them - often quietly - for lack of evidence. The latest manifestation of what many describe as 'Islamophobia' was the much publicized arrest of eleven Muslim students in Manchester on April 8. Shortly afterwards, Prime Minister Gordon Brown hailed the arrests for foiling a “major terrorist plot”. Nevertheless, all the detainees - mostly students from Pakistan - were released within days without charge. The perceived offense caused Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari to refuse to attend a joint press conference with Gordon Brown, and Pakistani High Commissioner to London Wajid Shamsul Hasan has said "[British authorities] owe an apology not only to these boys but also to the government of Pakistan." He has also called for compensation for the detainees who were wrongly arrested.

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GOP: Obama killed bipartisanship

US Republicans turn out in force to protest at what they denounce as the Democratic president's betrayal of his pledge of honoring their advice. On Wednesday, the Grand Old Party's heavyweights wrote to President Barack Obama bemoaning 'a sad lack of bipartisanship' exemplified by the commander-in-chief's insistence on bringing to account of the former officials responsible for torture of 'terrorism suspects', FOXNews reported on Friday. "This lack of bipartisanship has been a major detriment to your stated desire to change the way that Washington works," the GOP leaders said. "We believe that if Washington can put aside petty politics and unite for the good of the American people, we can accomplish great things." Pinning the blame on the congressmen from the other side of the isle, they claimed "Democratic leaders in Congress have so far ignored your call for a new era of bipartisanship in Washington." "However, the next 100 days can be different," they concluded before cataloguing the issues they wanted to draw the president's attention to. Obama's economic policies have likewise been lashed out at for inappropriate in the Republican mentality. "The stimulus bill was supposed to be about jobs, jobs and jobs, and it turned into spending, spending and more spending," CNN quoted House Minority Leader and Ohio Republican John Boehner as saying.

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New flu kills 68 in Mexico, reaches US

The outbreak of a new flu virus which has killed sixty eight people in Mexico has now reached the US, infecting at least eight Americans. Top US health officials in the State of California have announced that at least eight Americans have been infected by the new strain of the 'largely mysterious' swine flu and the number is expected to rise. Schools and educational centers in the Capital Mexico City were closed and hospitals were put on alert earlier on Thursday with the Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova telling reporters "We're dealing with a new flu virus that constitutes a respiratory epidemic that so far is controllable." Health authorities in the United States have warned of a fast-catching viral syndrome capable of delivering mortal blows to the sufferers. Gil Chavez, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases at the California Department of Public Health, said on Friday, "We are watching this very closely. It's largely a mystery. It's very unusual whenever you have as many as even six cases (of swine flu), that's very, very rare." "There's evidence of possible human-to-human transmission going on, so the more we look the more we are likely to find," Reuters quoted him as saying. "This is something we believe we identified early and have responded to very aggressively and we are taking every step necessary to solve the mystery," he went on to say. California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger also recommended his fellow citizens to take "common-sense" and refrain from unnecessary physical contacts with dubious cases- - a precautionary measure also promoted in the Latin American State of Mexico. In addition, Schwarzenegger asked for more federal flu experts from the US Centers for Disease Control. California has, moreover, launched a Joint Emergency Operations Center with Mexican officials in a concerted effort to contain the lethal infection from developing into a full-blown epidemic. The World Health Organization has ruled out the need to shut Mexico's borders despite over 1,000 cases of registered patients. The highly contagious disease follows earlier symptoms of harsh respiratory symptoms before killing its victim.

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Russia offers to launch N. Korean satellites

Russia is interested in hosting the launch of North Korean satellites whose sendoff has alienated the international community from Pyongyang. "I hope this proposal will be studied," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted by Interfax as saying in the South Korean capital of Seoul on Friday, Reuters reported. "Such cooperation is carried out with the Republic of Korea, we are ready to carry out similar projects with North Korea," he added. Last month, North Korea attempted at a satellite launch reportedly using the ballistic missile-design Taepodong-2 rocket. The move defied a United Nations Security Council ban which was prompted by the country's first test-firing of ballistic missiles in 2006. The firing also sidestepped the US warnings that the launch pursued military objectives amid reports that the rocket was capable of reaching Alaska and Hawaii. The US and North Korea had started a number of military maneuvers as a precaution and, close to the launch, the US Navy seconded two of its warships to a joint patrol in the Sea of Japan with Japanese and North Korean armadas. "I hope no one will artificially try to rock the boat, moreover, to use it as a pretext for unleashing an arms race in the region, creating military blocs and stepping up missile defense plans," added the foreign minister. Lavrov is on the trip aimed at inviting the country back into the nuclear disarmament talks. Earlier in the month, North Korea vowed to boycott the talks promising to reactivate one of its nuclear power plants that produce weapons-grade plutonium in an apparent reaction to the international condemnation of the satellite launch. Despite Moscow's intervention, Lavrov said, "North Korea is not ready to resume the six-party talks, but Russia hopes that our call to do this in Pyongyang has been heard."

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Israel planned to attack Iran on April 17: Debka

Israel had planned to attack and "destroy" the bulk of the Iranian Air Force fleet during a maneuver on April 17, Israel's Debkafile claims. "Israel was planning to destroy all 140 fighter-bombers concentrated at the Mehr-Abad Air Force base for an air show over Tehran on Iran's Army Day the following day," read the Debka report. The air maneuver was cancelled due to severe and harsh weather conditions. "Due to poor visibility and the appearance of dust storms (over the city), we were forced to cancel the drill for an optimal output," said Air Force commander Brigadier General Hassan Shah-Safi. However, Debka, which has close links to the Israeli intelligence service Mossad, quoted intelligence sources as saying that the cancellation was announced after a tip-off from the Russians. "Moscow had informed the Iranians that its spy satellites and intelligence sources had picked up preparations at Israeli Air Force bases to destroy the 140 warplanes, the bulk of the Iranian air force, on the ground the night before the display, leaving its nuclear sites without aerial defense," Debka sources insisted. Israel, the sole possessor of a nuclear warhead in the Middle East -- according to former US President Jimmy Carter --, has long strived to portray Iran as a regime hell-bent on imminent nuclear war. Under the claim and a warning that Iran could gain nuclear weapons within "months", Israel regularly threatens to wipe out Iranian nuclear infrastructure militarily. Iran, a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), says its work is directed at the civilian applications of the technology. The country, meanwhile, continues to prep its military for deterring threats such as those originating from Israel.

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Dubai denies piracy money laundering

Dubai denies reports by British media claiming that the Emirate's banks are being used by organized piracy syndicates to launder money. Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Dubai Police's Deputy Commander General described the allegations as 'baseless' on Wednesday, saying that the UAE has strict legislation against any type of money laundering. The Independent wrote Tuesday that much of the USD 80 million ransoms that pirates had received in 2008 for the release of ships they had hijacked off Somalia and the African Horn was transferred to piracy 'godfathers' based in Dubai and other Persian Gulf littoral states. The British newspaper quoted Christopher Ledger, a former Royal Marine officer, as saying that "syndicates based in the Persian Gulf - some in Dubai - play a significant role in the piracy which is taking place off the African coast." "There are huge amounts of money involved and this gives the syndicates access to increasingly sophisticated means of moving money, as well as access to modern technology in carrying out the hijackings," he added. Al Mazeina reacted to the claims by saying that the UAE's police have not received "any report about money laundering taking place in the UAE." The deputy police commander said that some parties attempt to tarnish the image of the UAE through spreading these vicious rumors.

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Geithner: US responsible for recession

The US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner admits that the US is accountable for the global economic crisis which has spread across the world. "Never before in modern times has so much of the world been simultaneously hit by a confluence of economic and financial turmoil such as we are now living through," Geithner said, addressing the Economic Club of Washington on Wednesday. Geithner noted that the new economic forecast prepared by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) calculated that the global economic output will fall by 1.3 percent this year -- a decline unprecedented in more than six decades. The United States entered recession after a housing and mortgage meltdown in December 2007, which later affected and spread through the world, resulting in major job losses. Meanwhile, the US Federal Reserve envisioned deterioration of market conditions, forecasting little recovery in 2010. The Obama administration earlier called on the G20 nations to increase their financial commitment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) by a combined total of USD 500 billion ensuring that it has enough money to help poverty-stricken countries. Many of the European countries, however, have given the United States a cold shoulder. Some believe that they already have done more than enough to stimulate their economies, arguing that they do not want to pile up huge levels of debt, adding that nationalization of private companies is not the solution to the crisis. Geithner called the G20 proposals made in London on April 2 an "unprecedented, cooperative program," citing estimates that the action could provide a USD 5 trillion fiscal boost to the global economy through 2010. While the US official did not mention any further commitments that the US would seek this weekend when finance ministers meet in Washington, some analysts believe it's unlikely those discussions will produce any further major proposals. Although President Barack Obama has requested for USD100 billion as the US share to the USD 500 billion pledge to IMF loan plan, more donors are still needed to reach target.

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US: Taliban endangers Pakistan existence

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hints that the Taliban's recent advancements towards Islamabad pose 'an existential threat to Pakistan. Speaking on Wednesday, Clinton urged Pakistanis around the world to speak out against Islamabad government policy of ceding land to the insurgents. The developments come after the Pakistan's interior ministry confirmed that Taliban militants from northwestern valley of Swat took control of Buner and started patrolling areas in the district. Taliban, who had infiltrated into Buner on April 4, were reported to have been on a looting spree for the past days. The district is only 100 km (60 mile) from the capital. Top US military commander Admiral Michael Mullen also said that Washington was concerned about the security of nuclear weapons in the violence-hit country. "Pakistan -- it's a country that has nuclear weapons. My long-term worry is that descent ... should it continue, gives us the worst possible outcome there," Mullen said. Earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari and lawmakers -- under pressure by the militants -- agreed to introduce a harsh Taliban judicial system in the troubled Malakand division, comprising of six north-western districts including Swat. The Taliban have repeatedly hinted that they would take their war to the capital. The violence has killed thousands of people including soldiers in Pakistan since the country joined the US-led war on terror in 2001.

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Obama urges Israel to accept 2-state solution

The US has urged the new Israeli hard-right government to accept the “two-state” solution and work for the creation of a Palestinian State. "I am a strong supporter of a two-state solution. I have articulated that publicly, and I will articulate that privately. And I think that there are a lot of Israelis who also believe in a two-state solution," said President Barack Obama after a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah in Washington. Obama also predicts good-faith gestures from both Palestinians and Israelis in coming months. "What we have to do is step back from the abyss," he said, adding that the two-state solution would bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Obama said he plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak by early June in an effort to revive the Middle East peace process. Meeting the popularly elected Palestinian Hamas government officials is not on Obama's itinerary. In compliance with the Israeli demands, the US has so far refused to meet the Hamas government officials who control the Gaza strip. US officials have instead opted to negotiate with Mahmoud Abbas, who has only nominal control over the Israeli occupied West Bank. The comments came as Netanyahu's administration has challenged Obama's Middle East policy, having refused to recognize the prospect for Palestinian statehood. Obama is trying to push Netanyahu into accepting the principle of a two-state solution, which has formed the basis of US policy over the past few years. "I agree that we can't talk forever, that at some point steps have to be taken so that people can see progress on the ground. And that will be something that we will expect to take place in the coming months," Obama said.

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Indian rebels take 300 people hostage

India's Maoist rebels have seized a train with 300 passengers onboard in the state of Jharkhand amid the country's national general elections. "Rebels have the train in their control. We are preparing to rescue the people," AFP quoted police officer Sarvendu Thatagat as saying. The train has been held in Latehar district, where the first phase of elections was held on April 16; further voting in the state is to be held on Thursday.

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Obama buries hatchet with CIA over memos

President Barack Obama sets out to heal a rift with America's spy agency over the release of secret memos on harsh interrogation methods. The US president made his first visit to the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters on Monday in an attempt to pacify American spies following the release of the most complete account of the Bush administration's interrogation techniques. "Don't be discouraged by what's happened the last few weeks. Don't be discouraged that we have to acknowledge potentially we have made some mistakes -- that's how we learn," President Obama told agency employees. "We live in dangerous times. I am going to need you more than ever," he said, shoring up CIA morale. The visit came after the Justice Department made public classified Bush-era memos detailing the controversial CIA interrogation program. The tactics included previously unacknowledged strategies of "slamming a prisoner into a wall" and "placing an insect near a detainee terrified of bugs." Another memo revealed that waterboarding had been used a total of 266 times on two of the three al Qaeda suspects that the agency had previously acknowledged were subjected to waterboarding. "So I want to make a point that...I understand that it's hard when you are asked to protect the American people against people who have no scruples and would willingly and gladly kill innocents," President Obama added. Civil liberties groups have called for torture charges to be brought against CIA employees, arguing that the "Nuremberg defense" of following orders is unacceptable. The US president, however, said that his administration would prosecute neither CIA interrogators nor the authors of the memos because they acted on the basis of the department's legal blessing. President Obama said he had ended the techniques revealed in the memos "because I believe our nation is stronger and more secure when we deploy the full measure of both our power and the power of our values, including the rule of law." Leon E. Panetta, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, vowed to respect a ban issued by President Obama in January on harsh interrogations methods. President Obama's decision to release the interrogation memo caused a fierce battle within the highest ranks of the White House about the benefits of releasing the information. Gary Berntsen, a former CIA officer, hit out at President Obama over the release of the details, saying "Part of the problem is that this administration can't control themselves in terms of continuing to throw mud at their predecessors. The decision seemed to be political."

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Expert takes aim at heart of US foreign policy

Foreign policy expert Christopher Preble expounds on how Washington's military power has turned the US into a "hated symbol of arrogance". In his book titled The Power Problem: How American Military Dominance Makes Us Less Safe, Less Prosperous and Less Free, Preble criticizes the post-Cold War mindset that has encouraged Washington to seek military control over the world. According to Preble, the longstanding US eagerness to play sheriff and intervene in world affairs has had various social and political repercussions in the United States. "I am challenging a central premise which has guided both Democrats and Republicans since the end of the Cold War, which is the United States is the indispensable nation, this was a term that Madeleine Albright appropriated but is very clear in George Bush's work as well," Preble told Press TV correspondent Mike Mazzocco. "The United States is not the indispensable nation," he continued. "We are not the only nation in the world that cares about security; we're not the only government in the world that cares about its own citizens." Preble, a director of foreign policy studies and a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, said US efforts to discourage countries from defending themselves have so far been "shortsighted and counter productive". He instead proposes a new grand strategy that will advance US national security agenda by calling for a new military configuration that requires cooperation instead of confrontation. One of the most vocal critics of Washington's foreign policy, Preble has published over 100 articles in major publications including USA Today, the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Harvard International Review.

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Ahmadinejad snubs Kouchner threats: Durban II

Addressing a UN anti-racism confab Iran's president minces no words in calling Israel 'a totally racist government' formed on the back of 'military aggression'. Snubbing Monday warnings by the French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the post-World War II military invasions on Palestine which preceded the propping up of the entity, were explained by 'Jewish suffering'. "They resorted to military aggression to make an entire nation homeless under the pretext of Judaism," he said. "They sent migrants from Europe, the United States and other parts of the world in order to establish a totally racist government in the occupied Palestine." Kouchner had earlier warned that all European envoys would leave the UN anti-racism summit, should Ahmadinejad level 'racist or anti-Semitic accusations' against Israel. Ahmadinejad's comments were followed by the walking out of the delegates from several European supporters of Israel. Iran's president, however, continued his speech and was applauded by the audience. France, which had sent its representative to the event, also reportedly condemned the presentation as a 'hate speech' after the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed those who had boycotted 'this festival of hate'. Following hectic Tel Aviv efforts to criminalize the event, the United States was the first to impose the boycott opposing the language the conference's draft document used to characterize Israel The two had also slammed the previous conference held in Durban, South Africa in 2001, for being anti-Semitic because it brought into focus Israel's ill-treatment of the Palestinians and attempted to pass a resolution likening Zionism to racism. A protesting European official was quoted by DPA as saying that the delegations were offended by the 'inflammatory remarks'. As the president was walking up to the podium, some three clown impersonators attempted at obstruction shouting 'racist, racist'. They were ejected by the guards and Ahmadinejad commenced his presentation saying, "I would like to ask the respected audience to forgive these people. They are misinformed." "Coercion and arrogance is the origin of oppression and wars. Although many of proponents of racism today condemn racial discrimination in the words and slogans, a number of powerful countries have been authorized to decide for other nations based on their own interests and at their own discretion and they can easily violate all laws and humanitarian values as they have done so," the Iranian president had said earlier in his remarks.

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Ex-CIA chief: Torture kept Americans safe

The former CIA chief claims that the 'enhanced interrogation methods' used by the agency to drive intelligence out of suspects have been helpful. Michael Hayden, appearing on the "Fox News Sunday" program, said that the methods, which have been widely criticized as amounting to torture, have successfully worked in fighting terrorism and al-Qaeda and saving the American people. Hayden described methods such as extreme sleep deprivation, waterboarding and the use of insects to provoke fear. He characterized these techniques as effective in digging out information from top al-Qaeda leaders. "Most of the people who oppose these techniques want to be able to say: 'I don't want my nation doing this' -- which is a purely honorable position -- and 'they didn't work anyway'," Hayden said. "The facts of the case are that the use of these techniques against these terrorists made us safer, it really did," Hayden said, according to AFP. "It's what I'd call, without meaning any irreverence to anybody, 'a really inconvenient truth.'" Hayden specifically rejected a weekend report in The New York Times quoting CIA officials as saying that waterboarding and beating of a top Al-Qaeda operative, Abu Zubaydah, yielded no more information than softer interrogation techniques. "We stand by our story. The critical information we got from Abu Zubaydah came after we began the EIT's, enhanced interrogation techniques," he said. Based on a March report by The Washington Post, the clues obtained through methods like waterboarding, which has a simulated drowning effect, have sent the US central Intelligence Agency's operatives on false errands around the world, says an unnamed former senior government official who closely followed the interrogations. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was waterboarded 183 times in March 2003 and Abu Zubaydah was waterboarded 83 times in August 2002, says a CIA IG report.

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Karzai warns US against Taliban talks

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has warned the US against holding direct talks with the Taliban members in his violence wracked country. Karzai on Sunday in an interview objected to the strategy of having US military commanders in Afghanistan conduct direct talks with the insurgents. "If you want to accomplish a local deal with a certain Taliban commander at a tactical level, good enough," Karzai told CNN. However, he warned that such talks will not produce tangible results until the Afghan national government is taken to confidence in this regard. "But even that has to be done in agreement with the Afghan administration (government) at the local, provincial level." the president noted. The remarks come after US commanders stationed in Afghanistan persuaded some elements within the Taliban to abandon their armed struggle in return for power-sharing. The differences between Washington and Karzai have emerged over a range of issues since some last months. Civilian casualties are the greatest source of tension between Karzai and the US. Karzai has repeatedly lashed out at the foreign regiment because of their disregard to civilians' life and local culture. Karzai has ruled the war-torn nation since the Taliban's ouster. The US has said that it will not back him in the upcoming poll. Washington's U-turn in dealing with extremists in Afghanistan comes seven and half years after it allegedly invaded the country to destroy Taliban, capture Osama bin Laden and to bring security to the volatile region.

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Swiss offer to help US-Iran talks

Switzerland is ready to facilitate dialogue between the United States and Iran, Swiss ambassador to Tehran Livia Leu Agosti has said. "Switzerland could make contributions to the process, should all sides wish it," the Swiss diplomat said in an interview published on Sunday in the 'Swissinfo' website. Leu Agosti has been at the post since the beginning of the year. She cautioned that any rapprochement between Washington and Tehran will take time. "If we still see and hear mixed signals from both sides, this is only normal after almost 30 years without relations. Any rapprochement will take time," she said. "The two countries have taken a carefully positive approach towards each other," she added, noting that as first steps, the two sides are in the process of changing their established vocabulary as well as allowing informal contacts. She went on to say that once the future format of talks becomes clearer, Switzerland could make contributions to the process, should all sides wish it. When asked if she has been experiencing difficulties in a society ruled by men, especially as the only woman diplomat based in Tehran, she said that this position has not been to her disadvantage and that her treatment by the authorities has been respectful, professional and expeditious. "I was able to present my credentials to the president within one month, which is almost a record," she added. Switzerland and Iran have signed bilateral agreements on investment protection and double taxation as well as accords on trade and air transport. In the absence of formal relations with Iran, Switzerland has been representing the interests of Washington in Tehran since 1980.

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Denials by the French president's office cannot forestall a media outrage at Nicolas Sarkozy's scathing remarks against the country's allies.

Top Palestinian peace negotiator Saeb Erakat says the new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is no partner for peace. "Until the (Benjamin) Netanyahu government unequivocally affirms its support for the two-state solution, implements Israel's roadmap obligations and abides by previous agreements, Palestinians have no partner for peace," top negotiator Saeb Erakat said. He made the remarks after meeting with US special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Mitchell held talks with the officials from the Palestinian Authority on Friday after two days of separate meetings with Israeli officials. During his meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders Mitchell stressed that a two-state solution is the only solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Prime Minister Netanyahu told Mitchell that the Palestinians should "recognize the state of Israel as the state of the Jewish people." In response to the Netanyahu's demand, Palestinians said they never recognize Israel and Erakat stressed that the demand does not figure in any peace treaty and does not conform to international law. "Netanyahu's new 'condition' serves no other purpose than to stall progress towards negotiations, and to save his government from having to deal with the real issues," Erakat said. Erakat named the issues as "Israel's refusal to end its occupation, to freeze all settlement activity, to lift restrictions on Palestinian movement, and to unequivocally support the two-state solution." The largely right-wing cabinet of Israel's hawkish prime minister has halted the previous negotiations over setting up an independent Palestinian state and called previous US-backed agreements into question. On April 1, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Tel Aviv was not bound by the 2007 US-backed Annapolis deal, under which Israel agreed to the creation of a Palestinian state. He said the peace process was at a "dead end." Following the comments by Lieberman, former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni who was the country's top negotiator in peace talks with Palestinians, said that her successor's position on the 2007 Annapolis deal "showed the world that we are not a partner [for peace]." At the US-hosted Annapolis Conference, Israel pledged to halt all settlement activities in East al-Quds and the West Bank. East al-Quds is widely viewed as the capital of Palestine's future state. Israel has in recent months announced the construction of hundreds of new Jewish homes in al-Quds, in breach of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

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Western media condemn Sarkozy remarks

Denials by the French president's office cannot forestall a media outrage at Nicolas Sarkozy's scathing remarks against the country's allies. The "bitchy little princess" "confirmed his superiority complex has no limits" by "Dim, callow, irrelevant… verdict on fellow leaders," read a combination of Friday news headlines by Britain's The Guardian, The Times and Spain's ABC, respectively. Sarkozy -- infamous for blunt and many a time insulting remarks -- this time went as far as backbiting fellow world leaders during a lunch on Wednesday with parliament members to discuss the global financial crisis. He reportedly started by hailing his "very clever and very charismatic" US counterpart Barack Obama and his "subtle mind", but went on to criticize Obama's lack of experience and efficiency, describing him as naive in his call for a world free of nuclear arms. "He was elected two months ago and had never run a ministry …and he is not always up to standard on decision-making and efficiency," the right-wing president was quoted as saying by a parliamentarian in left-wing Liberation daily. Over dessert, Sarkozy targeted Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, saying "Perhaps he's not very clever but I know people who were very clever and who didn't make the second round of the presidential election." German Chancellor Angela Merkel was also among the preys of Sarkozy's unflattering remarks. "Once she realized the state of her banks and her car industry, she had no choice but to come round to my position," he reportedly said. Sarkozy's office stressed late on Thursday that "the Elysee denies the remarks reported by Liberation," and a number of parliamentarians present at the lunch said the benign, "playful" comments had been taken out of context. The effort, however, fell way short of stemming flurries of Web and press comment on the latest gaffe by the French leader dragging behind the nickname "hyperpresident" and a reputation for tactlessness. During a late 2007 visit to protesting fishermen in Britany, Sarkozy furiously sought to call a critic out to insult him face to face. In another scene during a book fair appearance a year later, Sarkozy snarled "get out of here, you poor *** hole" to a man who refused to shake hands with the president. Sarkozy's behind-closed-doors comments seem not very kind recalling Merkel's support for him against proposed stimulus strategies and financial market regulations backed by Washington and London prior to London's G20 summit. They also draw into question a warm welcome he gave Obama during NATO's 60th anniversary.

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'Lone gunman': Mumbai confessions under torture

The lone surviving gunman of the Mumbai attacks, Ajmal Amir Qasab, says his confession was a result of torture and thus false. Qasab's defense lawyer, Abbas Kamzi, said Qasab had asked him to take back the confession on his behalf. Kazmi noted that the entire 'confession' was extracted through coercion and torture and as a result was not a voluntary confession and therefore had nothing to do with him. This is while prosecutor Ujwal Nikam had described Qasab's involvement in the Mumbai attack as a plot planned in Pakistan to commit a series of attacks across India. He talked of the gunmen receiving training from Pakistan's 'intelligence professionals' and cooperating with 'a major general' as they prepared for the attacks. Nikram stated that Qasab should be held accountable for 166 of the murders committed. "Even though Qasab was actually not present at the time of the firing incidents in hotels Taj and Trident, and Nariman House, he can be held liable for the murders as one of the co-conspirators," he commented. Together with Qasab, two Indians, Fahim Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed, are also on trial, accused of being members of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group and of spearheading the Mumbai attacks. Ajmal Amir Qasab was arrested on the first day of the terrorist attacks on Mumbai in November 2008. He has been in Indian custody ever since. Charges of murder and waging war on India are leveled against the Pakistani national and he will face the death penalty if convicted. Relations between New Delhi and Islamabad have been tense since the death of over 170 people in last November's terror attacks on India's financial hub - Mumbai. India blamed banned Pakistan-based militants for the raids, alleging that the perpetrators were 'clients and creations' of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) -- a claim that Islamabad has repeatedly denied.

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Israel to Russia: Don't sell S-300 to Iran

Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak in a meeting with Russia's deputy foreign minister called on Moscow to not supply advanced missiles to Iran. Barak in his talks with Alexander Saltanov in al-Quds (Jerusalem) on Thursday urged Russia 'to avoid selling advanced anti-aircraft missile systems to Iran,' a senior defense official told AFP. Barak's comments come as Russia's state arms export service has declared that the country is not delivering its advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Iran. "Nothing is happening. There are no deliveries," Interfax news agency quoted Alexander Fomin, First Deputy Director of Russia's Federal Military and Technical Cooperation Service, as saying at an arms fair in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. However, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, Mahdi Safari, who was visiting Moscow on Wednesday, declared that the contract to buy Russia's S-300 advance missile system is still on track. "There are no problems with this [S-300] contract," RIA Novosti quoted Safari as saying.

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Red Mosque cleric released on bail

A pro-Taliban leader in Pakistan is released on bail from detention vowing that the militants' rule will be enforced across the county. Maulana Abdul Aziz was arrested by troops in July 2007 trying to escape the besieged Lal Mosque dressed in a woman's burqa in the capital. Government forces had stormed the mosque to arrest the al-Qaeda militants who were allegedly holed up inside the building and in an adjacent girls' school. Taliban controlled, the Red Mosque had for years been an insurgents' hub in the heart of the Islamabad where main government offices are located. Around 100 people were killed in the ensuing battle between the militants and Pakistani forces. He faces around two dozen cases involving terror, abduction and assisting the seizure of government property, but has yet to stand trial. The former chief cleric of Islamabad's Red Mosque, addressing a crowd of nearly 1,000, vowed to continue his struggle to enforce Taliban style law throughout the country. "The sacrifices given by the people in the Red Mosque and its female students will not go in vain. Islamic system will be enforced in the country," the cleric told a cheering crowd. The Taliban has long campaigned to impose Wahhabi style laws, which include beheading and storming female education centers. Moderate Sunnis and Shia Muslims believe that Taliban and Wahhabis have nothing to do with Islam, and have been imposed on the society by the external powers. The US along with Saudi Arabia encouraged the formation of militant groups in the troubled region in the 1980s to counter the then Soviet Union influence in Afghanistan. Al-Qaeda and Taliban insurgents carry the legacy of such groups. The mosque operation unleashed a wave of revenge suicide attacks across Pakistan that have left more than 1,700 people dead since then. Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network also called on Pakistanis last year to avenge the military raid on the mosque. Aziz's remarks come days after President Asif Ali Zardari's government lost control of Pakistan's restive Swat valley. Zardari on Monday night approved Taliban rule in the Swat Valley and the country's army has surrendered the restive region to extremist Taliban-linked militants. Lawmakers -- under pressure from the militants -- also passed the measure without debate amid Taliban threats that opponents of the bill would be considered apostates and would face the death penalty in the insurgents' self-style courts. Pakistan remain tense as details of the deal have not yet been made public, and moderate forces say the government has showed a lack of capability in fighting members of the al-Qaeda and Taliban. Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) leader Altaf Hussain has said that Taliban insurgents want to take the country back to the stone ages by taking over the country. MQM was the only party which has boycotted the parliament process, saying it was strongly against the Taliban efforts to spread its ideas with the Kalashnikov. Pakistan suffers from the wave of violence more than seven years after the US-led forces invaded neighboring Afghanistan in 2001 to allegedly oust the Taliban, destroy al-Qaeda, capture Osama bin Laden and bring security to the volatile region. However, al-Qaeda is still active, bin Laden is still at large, Afghanistan is still volatile and violence has spilled over to Pakistan as well.

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Obama: CIA interrogators won't be prosecuted

US President Barack Obama says that those CIA officers who used harsh interrogation techniques on terror suspects would not be prosecuted. The US administration also said that it released four memos, with sections blacked out, which were written by the former Bush administration's officials to justify harsh CIA interrogations of terror suspects. "In releasing these memos, it is our intention to assure those who carried out their duties relying in good faith upon legal advice from the Department of Justice that they will not be subject to prosecution," the president said in a statement. Attorney General, Eric Holder, meanwhile said that the government would provide legal representation to any CIA employee involved in the interrogations in any state or federal court, if a case is brought up against them. A federal court had given the government until Thursday to either turn over the memos in response to a lawsuit brought by the ACLU (American Civil Liberty Union), or explain why they could not be released. The memos provided the legal framework for a program of interrogations of 'war on terror' detainees that included techniques widely regarded as torture such as waterboarding in which a detainee is made to feel like he is drowning.

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Hezbollah hits back at Egypt

Hezbollah has brushed aside the accusations recently made by Egypt, saying Cairo is seeking to damage the movement's reputation. The movement's deputy leader Sheikh Naeem Qassem said on Wednesday that Egypt's allegations that Hezbollah is seeking to destabilize the country are totally unfounded and baseless. "This whole thing is politically motivated and will result in a backlash against the Egyptian regime," he added. The Hezbollah official said, "The Egyptian regime wants revenge and is seeking to sully Hezbollah's image", but "It has become clear to everyone that these accusations are fabricated ... and that they are worthless." Egypt's anti-Hezbollah campaign began after Hezbollah criticized Cairo for its performance during the 22-day Israeli war in the Gaza Strip. Egypt kept the Rafah border-crossing -- Gaza's only border that bypasses Israel -- closed during the war which killed at least 1,350 Palestinians and claimed that it was bound to close the crossing under an agreement with Tel Aviv. Last week, Cairo announced that it had arrested a group linked to Hezbollah on charges of plotting attacks in the country. Hezbollah denied the allegations immediately. In an article published last week by the Qatari-based daily Ash-Sharq, a prominent Egyptian political analyst accused Cairo of conspiring against the Lebanese movement. Fahmi Huwaidi said the reports circulated against Hezbollah were so 'contradictory' that one could easily rule them out as 'unfounded'. This is while Egypt continues its rhetoric against Hezbollah and has threatened the movement to pay a "heavy price" for "plotting attacks" in the country.

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US warns Israel against attack on Iran

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has cautioned Israel against launching a military attack on Iran to halt its nuclear program. Gates who was speaking to a group of Marine Corps students in Washington said that any Israeli attack on Iran will have dangerous consequences, The Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday. Gates noted that a strike against Iran would only delay Iran's nuclear program one to three years and it would further commit the Iranian nation to develop its nuclear program. An attack on Iran would "cement their determination to have a nuclear program, and also build into the whole country an undying hatred of whoever hits them," the US official noted. Gate's comments come amid speculations that Israel might attack Iran's nuclear facilities to halt its nuclear program. The new Israeli government led by hawkish politician Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced its commitment to stop Iran's nuclear program, even through a military attack.

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Mossad, CIA hatch Egypt's anti-Hezbollah plot

Egypt has been collaborating with Israeli and US intelligence agencies in their latest conspiracy against Lebanon's Hezbollah movement. Citing Philippe Vasset, editor of Intelligence Online daily, Haaretz reported Tuesday that the Egyptian security forces have been operating entirely on the basis of intelligence "provided to them by several foreign intelligence services" in their latest move against the Lebanese movement. Egypt arrested 49 people last Tuesday, accusing Hezbollah of recruiting the group to stage attacks against tourist areas frequented by foreigners in the country during Israel's devastating 22-day offensive on the Gaza Strip in December 2008. According to the online biweekly report, Israel's Mossad and the CIA, contributed to the arrest of the people accused of "planning attacks in the country". Cairo later claimed that the group was also masterminding attacks against Israeli targets in Sinai Peninsula and against targets in the Suez Canal. Earlier on Monday, the security forces also added espionage to the charges of the detainees and claimed that another group of 13 suspects has been holed up in the Sinai Peninsula. The officials claimed that the suspects, who had taken shelter in the central Sinai town of al-Nakhl, may either try to escape north into Gaza some 200 km (120 miles) away through secret tunnels or head south to the tourist resorts on the coast. Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah rejected the allegations in a televised speech on Friday. "I fully reject and deny all charges that Hezbollah was intending to launch an act of aggression in Egypt or at any other part of the world," Nasrallah said. He however confirmed that one of the 49 people was a Hezbollah member. "The brother Sami Shihab is a member of Hezbollah. We do not deny it and we are not ashamed of it ... Sami was providing logistics to help the Palestinian resistance at the Egyptian-Palestinian borders ... all other charges against him are false," Nasrallah explained.

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UN snubs US, Japan over North Korea

After much horse trading and despite the enormous pressure brought on the United Nations Security Council by the US and Japan, the Council issued nothing more than a “presidential statement” criticizing North Korea's satellite launch of April 5. The non-binding statement asks North Korea to avoid further launches. It also called for the early resumption of the stalled six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program. The US and Japan had lobbied heavily for a binding Security Council resolution, calling for additional sanctions in response to North Korea's satellite launch. However, China - which enjoys warm relations with North Korea - and Russia were not swayed. The two veto-wielding powers argued that it was doubtful that the launch had been a clear violation of earlier Security Council resolutions. Furthermore, they felt that dialogue was a better way of dealing with North Korea instead of the sanctions and threats prescribed by the US and Japan. Despite the relatively mild Security Council response, Pyongyang reacted very strongly and announced the immediate cessation of cooperation with the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency. IAEA spokesman Marc Vidricaire said, "The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has today informed IAEA inspectors in the Yongbyon facility that it is immediately ceasing all cooperation with the IAEA." Furthermore, the North Korean Foreign Ministry announced that "there is no need for the six-party talks any more.” It added: "We will never again take part in such talks and will not be bound by any agreement reached at the talks.” The statement, carried by the Korean Central News Agency, complained that “throughout history the UN Security Council has never taken issue with satellite launches,” and added that Pyongyang “will strengthen its nuclear deterrent for its defense by all means” and promised that North Korea "will take steps to restore disabled nuclear facilities... and reprocess used fuel rods that came from experimental nuclear reactors." South Korea announced that "the North's response is stronger than expected” and promised a formal statement later.

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Egypt joins Israel in anti-Hezbollah campaign

Egypt is mulling over building a case against Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in line with an Israeli campaign launched against the movement. Egyptian lawmakers and legal experts have called for an arrest warrant for the Lebanese movement's leader, accusing him of "encouraging terror activities in an attempt to destabilize the [Egyptian] state," the Saudi-based Al Arabiya television network reported Sunday. The parliamentarians called to include Nasrallah's case in the indictment expected to be served against 49 people arrested in Egypt several days ago over suspicion of "arms smuggling" into the country. The announcement came hours after Israel threatened to assassinate the Hezbollah leader who has been a "marked man since the Lebanon war" in the summer of 2006. Israel which failed to achieve its goals to destroy the resistance group during the 33-day war in southern Lebanon, has long been threatening the movement on a regular basis. Israel's Transport Minister Yisrael Katz, a close aid to the new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Sunday that "Nasrallah deserves death and I hope that those who know what to do with him (in Israel) will act and give him what he deserves." Tel Aviv launched the campaign late last week after Cairo alleged that those arrested were planning terror acts against Israeli targets in Egypt. The Hezbollah leader however denied the allegations that the movement plans to destabilize the Egyptian security.

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Bomb-making factory found in West Bank

Fatah-led Palestinian security officials claim that they have discovered "a bomb-making factory" in the occupied West Bank, belonging to Hamas. "Security forces found a bomb-making factory inside a mosque in Qalqiliya," an interior ministry statement said Sunday. "Many of the bombs were ready to use and many of them were of industrial grade," read the statement. A senior security official told AFP that they had arrested 'many' people for questioning about the factory. The latest arrests are likely to increase tensions between the two rival factions who failed to reach an agreement over a reconciliation government earlier this month. The two Palestinian factions have been at odds since Hamas came to power after winning the democratic election in 2006. Differences between the two factions climaxed in June 2007 when Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in a bid to "foil a coupe plot by some Fatah elements." Acting Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmoud Abbas, in response dismissed the Hamas government of Ismail Haniya and formed a parallel cabinet in Ramallah.

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US budget deficit hits one trillion dollars

The US budget deficit hits almost one trillion dollars in the first half of the current fiscal year, according to figures released by the Treasury. The deficit for the first six months of the fiscal year which began on October 1 was 956.80 billion dollars, said the Treasury's monthly statement of receipts and outlays. Much of the increase in outlays in March came from extraordinary investments by the government in banks and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, loans to credit unions, and increased spending from the stimulus package for unemployment insurance and Medicaid. Some of those investments should be repaid over time, but the government is booking them as cash expenses for now. In March, Fannie Mae received $15.2 billion, Freddie Mac received $30.8 billion, and unemployment benefits totaled $10.6 billion. Receipts during the six-month period to March 2009 period was 989.83 billion dollars while outlays amounted to nearly 1.95 trillion dollars, the data showed.

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Hezbollah denies 'Cairo attack' charges

Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah has rejected accusations by Egypt that the movement was plotting attacks in Cairo. "I fully reject and deny all charges that Hezbollah was intending to launch an act of aggression in Egypt or at any other part of the world," Nasrallah said in a speech on al-Manar Television on Friday. The Hezbollah chief however confirmed that one of the 49 people arrested by Egyptian security agents over alleged links to the Palestinian movement of Hamas was a member of the Lebanese movement. "The brother Sami Shihab is a member of Hezbollah. We do not deny it and we are not ashamed of it ... Sami was providing logistics to help the Palestinian resistance at the Egyptian-Palestinian borders ... all other charges against him are false," Nasrallah said. His statement comes two days after an Egyptian public prosecutor accused Nasrallah of recruiting a 50-member cell with the aim of striking inside Egypt, during Israel's devastating 22-day offensive on the Gaza Strip in December 2008. Egyptian officials have also charged Nasrallah of planning to 'spread Shia ideology' through Shihab in Egypt, branding him an 'Iranian agent'. Nasrallah said he was amazed by such allegation, as no 'single man' is capable of spreading Shia thought in a country, and stressed that Hezbollah is a purely Lebanese party from its leadership to its base. He added that these 'baseless accusations' only aim to 'agitate the Egyptian people and to defame Hezbollah's pure and bright image'. The Egyptian government, like the conservative Arab states in the Middle East, is worried about the growing popularity and influence of both the Hamas and Hezbollah in the region. Meanwhile, Cairo continues to keep the Rafah border crossing -- the only gateway between Gaza and the outside world -- closed, essentially helping to enforce the 20-month Israeli embargo on the impoverished sliver. During the Israeli onslaught, Hezbollah urged the people and armed forces of Egypt to oblige their leaders to open the Rafah crossing with the impoverished Palestinian enclave to let food, medicine and other basic supplies into Gaza. In his Friday speech, Nasrallah once again lashed out at the Egyptian regime stressing that it should be 'charged and condemned for besieging Gaza'. Thousands of people have lost their homes and belongings during the Israeli offensive and heavily rely on aid and humanitarian support which can only be channeled to the Strip through Egypt. Gaza is suffering from a humanitarian crisis due to the tight 20-month old blockade of the region by Israel and Egypt.

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Thai protests delay ASEAN summit

A summit between the South-east Asian nations and China has been delayed as anti-government protesters blocked access to the meeting.

The Saturday's summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China in the Thai beachside town of Pattaya mainly aimed to discuss the global financial crisis.

”The ASEAN-China summit has been postponed because of the attempts to block the arrangement of the leaders,” Thai government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn told reporters.

Some 2,000 of protesters calling for the resignation of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva gathered at the site of the summit in Pattaya. Hundreds of Thai military and police have also been deployed around the summit venue.

“The leaders still reaffirm that they are committed to hold this meeting,” the spokesman added.

In addition, a meeting between foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea on North Korea's recent rocket launch as well as economic issues, planned to be hold Saturday, was canceled due to anti-government protests.

The current protests follow mass rallies in Bangkok Wednesday. The protesters accuse Vejjajiva of seizing power by toppling the allies of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

"Today we are not coming to stop the summit. We have come to join the summit to represent the Thai people because Abhisit cannot be responsible for our rights," protest leader Arismun Pongreungrong told AFP.

Vejjajiva has rejected protestors' calls to step down and dissolve his four-month-old government to hold snap elections.

British-born Vejjajiva came to power after a court charged the former pro-Thaksin party with fraud and threw Thaksin's brother-in-law out of the premiership. He was named prime minister in December after the collapse of the pro-Thaksin administration.

Thaksin, now in exile, was ousted in a 2006 coup.

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US warship in scene of Somali pirates standoff

A US Navy warship, the USS Bainbridge, has arrived at the scene of a hijack drama involving Somali pirates and a US ship, a defense official says. The US-flagged cargo ship, Maersk Alabama vessel, carrying 20 American crew members, was en route to Mombasa, Kenya, when it was attacked about 500 km (310 miles) off Somalia's coast On Wednesday. However, after a while, the crewmembers regained control of the vessel, forcing the pirates to flee to a lifeboat with the captain held as hostage. The crew members have been negotiating with the pirates for the return of the captain.

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Powers invite Iran to engage in talks with US

World powers have urged Iran to take the opportunity to engage in talks with the US as a move to find a diplomatic solution to its nuclear issue. In a statement released on Wednesday after a meeting in London, the US, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain said that they would ask the EU Foreign Policy Chief, Javier Solana, to invite Tehran to a meeting to find "a diplomatic solution to this critical issue", Reuters reported. The statement by the major world powers comes as US President Barack Obama has declared that Washington would participate in future talks on Iran's nuclear program. In a clear change of tone, the Obama administration said the United States would be ready to engage in direct talks on the nuclear issue. "We strongly urge Iran to take advantage of this opportunity to engage seriously with all of us in a spirit of mutual respect," the six powers said. An official in Solana's office has unveiled that contacts would be made with Tehran to arrange talks on the nuclear program. Negotiations with Iran are expected to begin within the next few weeks, a Western diplomat said. "What is different is that the US will join the ... discussions with Iran from now on," a US State Department spokesman said. "If Iran accepts ... we hope this will be the occasion to seriously engage Iran on how to break the logjam of recent years and work in a cooperative manner to resolve the outstanding international concerns about its nuclear program."

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Israeli settlers attack Palestinians, injure 16

Armed Jewish settlers have attacked a village in the southern West Bank, leaving at least sixteen Palestinian villagers injured. Palestinian sources say around 200 Israeli settlers from Beit Ayin attacked Beit Safa, a nearby Palestinian village, early Wednesday and started throwing stones at homes and damaging cars. Moments later Israeli soldiers rushed to the region and used tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition to disperse the crowd and end the violence. According to Palestinian doctors, six of the wounded were injured after IDF soldiers opened fire on them. Israel's military, however, claims that the violence began after Palestinians hurled stones at the settlers, who were marking a Jewish blessing on a hilltop. Bat Ayin -- with nearly 1,000 residents -- is one of the most radical settlements in the occupied West Bank. Under international law Jewish settlers are considered illegal.

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Suicide bombing Attack in Chakwal - 26 Shaheed

26 Shaheed, more then 35 injured in this Suicide Attack At Chakwal Imambargah-e-Sarpak 

Suicide Bomber Blow him Self , During the yearly Majalis of Imam bargag-e-Sarpak Chakwal, almost 26 momeen shaheed till yet, more then 35 momeen are injured.

more then 2000 people were their for majalis-e-Aza.Blast Near the Checking Gate of Imambargah after Majalis. 
Initial report are says few names of the Momineen who embraces shahadat at this tragic event are: 1- Mohd. 
Bashir (Mutawali)
2- Mohd. Jawwad
3- Ch. Mazahir Hussain (Advocate)
4- Ghulam Raza
5- Ch. Zulfiqar
6- Ali Haider (Child)
7- Arsalan Haider (Child)
8- Habib Khan
9- Ch. Ajaz
10- Tawakul
11- Murtaza
12- Raza
13- Nawazish Abbas
14- Shahzad
15- Mohd. Jahangir
16- Jamshaid
17- Asif Hussain
18- Hahi Wasif
19- Nusrat Hussain
20- Syed Farhat Abbas
21- Karam Illahi
22- Main Khan
23- Shabir
24- Shahryar

Please recite a fateha for Shohada-e-Islam wa Shohada-e-Millat-e-Jaffaria Pakistan, and pray for all the injured people in the incident. 

 

Other Media News : 

According to initial information, the suicide bomber blew himself up during an annual Majlis Aza being held at the Sarpak Mohalla Imambargah in the vicinity of City police station here. Some 2000 to 2500 persons were attending the Majlis, when the blast occurred tearing away the bodies of the faithful into pieces.

Relief operations have started, while the dead and the injured are being shifted to the District Headquarter Hospital. Till now 30 persons have died, while hundreds lie injured. Ambulances have been sent from Jhelum and Rawalpindi. Police high officials and the DCO have arrived on the site of incident and supervising the relief work.

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'No hope' in UN pick for Gaza probe

Hamas has criticized the UN's decision to appoint a Jewish judge to head a probe into the war crimes committed in Gaza by Israelis. 

Hamas Minister of Justice Mohammed al-Ghoul told reporters on Saturday that the appointment was clear support for Israel's conduct in Gaza. 

Richard Goldstone, a South African Jewish judge, was appointed by President of the UN Human Rights Council Martin Uhomoibhi on Friday to play the leading role in an internationally-urged probe into Israeli war crimes during the three-week offensive in the Gaza Strip. 

The fact-finding mission is set to start an inquiry as Israel has previously snubbed human rights investigations, arguing that the Human Rights Council is biased. 

The appointment is believed to be an attempt to appease Israeli opposition to the investigation. The decision has also raised fears of Palestinian refusal to cooperate on the issue. 

Al-Ghoul added that the government of Ismail Haniya calls for the probe into Israel's war crimes against civilians in Palestine, but holds no hope for the fact-finding groups that have been repeatedly dispatched by the United Nations. 

Calls for an inquiry into Israeli war crimes come at a time when a Palestinian human rights group has put the number of Palestinian death toll in the recent offensive against Gaza at 1,417 -- 926 of whom civilians. 

Thirteen Israelis were also killed in the Operation Cast Lead in the coastal strip among which three were civilians. 

Goldstone, the former UN chief prosecutor for war crimes in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, will be accompanied by British human rights professor Christine Chinkin, Pakistani lawyer Hina Jilani and retired Irish Army colonel Desmond Travers. 

The mission's mandate has been based on a resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council during a special January 12 session. 

The 47 member-state forum condemned Israel for 'grave violations' of human rights during its assault on Gaza and called for an international probe.

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NY hostage crisis over, 14 dead

The gunman who went on a rampage at a civic center in Binghamton, New York is dead and the surviving hostages have been released. 

Several unnamed sources were quoted by CNN as saying that the gunman had been found dead inside the center on Friday. 

"The building is secure and everyone alive is out," the town police chief was quoted by Local News 10 Now. 

Police chief Joseph Zikuski said there were "14 confirmed dead in the building" and that he had "very good reason to believe that the shooter is among the dead at the scene." 

Earlier reports had said that 12 or 13 people were killed in the shooting spree by the gunman, who had held dozens of hostages at a civic center in upstate New York. 

Reports said the gunman took between 20 and about 40 hostages in the civic center in the small city located 217 km (135 miles) northwest of New York City, near the border with Pennsylvania. 

Several hours into the terrifying standoff, police brought out two men with their hands secured behind their backs, local television and newspapers reported. 

Local police would not comment on those reports or give details on casualty numbers, but a press conference was due to be held in later in the day.

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Bushehr nuclear plant operative at last?

The head of Russia's state nuclear company, Sergei Kiriyenko has said that Iran's first nuclear power plant will become operative this year. 

The head of Rosatom Nuclear Energy State Corporation noted that the activity of the nuclear plant is peaceful and stressed that the international community and the IAEA are aware of the fact, IRNA reported on Thursday. 

He noted that the launch of the Bushehr nuclear power plant will be an honor for the Russian nuclear experts who have cooperated with Iranian experts to complete the project. 

Kiriyenko said that according to the terms of the contract with Iran, Russian experts will remain in Iran for a year after the launch of the nuclear power plant. 

He added that Iran has proposed establishing a joint institute with Russia to run the Bushehr nuclear plant. 

Iran and Russia signed an agreement on nuclear cooperation in 1992. Russia then signed a contract in January 1995 to build Iran's first nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. The plant will be capable of generating some 1,000 megawatts of electricity annually. 

The nuclear power plant was scheduled to be completed in 1998 but the completion of the project was postponed several times.

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UN chief: Crisis may lead to social unrest

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has warned that failing to act to halt the global economic crisis could lead to widespread social unrest and failed states. 

"What began as a financial crisis has become a global economic crisis," the UN Secretary General wrote on Wednesday, in The Guardian newspaper, ahead of the G20 Summit in London. 

"I fear worse to come -- a full-blown political crisis defined by growing social unrest, weakened governments and angry publics who have lost all faith in their leaders and their own future." 

He said the global economic meltdown affected the poorest countries the most, and noted that in these countries "things fall apart alarmingly fast". 

"Unless we build a worldwide recovery we face a looming catastrophe in human development," Ban wrote. 

He called for a "truly global stimulus" package, and argued that developing countries need one trillion dollars over 2009 and 2010. 

"There is a thin line between failing banks and failing countries, and we cross it at our peril," he concluded.

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Petraeus: Pakistan could fall as state

The commander of US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and a top Pentagon official have voiced concern over the region's growing militancy. 

General Gen. David H. Petraeus admitted to a Senate panel on Wednesday that from a military point of view, the United States saw Pakistan and Afghanistan as a single theater. 

"Although the additional resources will be applied in different ways on either side of (their mutual border), Afghanistan and Pakistan comprise a single theater that requires comprehensive 'whole-of governments' approaches that are closely coordinated," Petraeus said. 

The top general went on to repeat Washington's criticism of Islamabad's handling of the insurgency on its soil, warning that the threat could dismantle Pakistan as a 'state', should it remain 'unchallenged'. 

"It is in Pakistan that al-Qaeda senior leadership and other transnational extremist elements are located," he added. 

He added that the country needed support in operations aimed at eradicating militants hiding in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, a problem that surged following the 2001 US-led invasion of the neighboring country. 

Petraeus urged US assistance, adding that, “extremists…pose a truly existential threat to their country [Pakistan]." 

Michele A. Flournoy, a top Defense Department official, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the US troops in Afghanistan would suffer 'higher human' losses this year after braving record casualties in 2008 since the start of the war. 

The military's Special Operations commandos, Adm. Eric T. Olson, also painted a grim picture of the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan. 

The panel pressed the officials for the first time to answer questions on President Obama's recently announced plans for the region, publicly questioning the advising trio for their part in formulating the new strategy. 

The Senate Armed Services Committee mainly focused on the means by which the advisors would 'assess' the threats in Pakistan and the strategies that would be drawn up to tackle such threats. 

The meeting followed a statement by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which said that the group was planning a terrorist attack on the US to 'amaze' the world. 

"Soon we will launch an attack in Washington that will amaze everyone in the world," TTP leader Baitullah Mehsud said Tuesday. 

Obama, who admitted on Wednesday that such threats exist, has pledged more aid to Pakistan, pressing Islamabad to crack down on al-Qaeda and Taliban forces active within the country's borders.

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