The trial of the Iraqi man who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush earlier this month has been postponed. Muntadar al-Zaidi, 29, was expected to appear in court on Wednesday charged with assaulting a foreign leader, and faced a maximum sentence of 15 years. But after an appeal, a higher court is now deciding whether he should face the lesser charge of insulting a leader. The reporter achieved global notoriety by his actions, which were celebrated by thousands in the Arab world. A spokesman for Iraq’s Central Criminal Court said the decision to postpone the trial was made following an appeal by Mr Zaidi’s lawyers.

A new trial date would be set later, Abdel Sattar Beyraqdar told the AFP news agency.

The lesser charge would incur a maximum sentence of two years.

‘No danger’

Lawyers for Mr Zaidi said their appeal was based on the fact that he had simply been expressing his opposition to the US presence in Iraq and that Mr Bush had never been in serious danger.

“Have you ever heard of anyone being killed by a shoe?” lawyer Dhiaa al-Saadi told Reuters.

“In Europe, they throw eggs and rotten tomatoes to insult. In Iraq, throwing a shoe is a symbol of disrespect.”

And he warned that such moves would threaten Moscow’s hopes to wield greater influence on the world stage.

“A Russia that continues to threaten its neighbours and manipulate their access to energy will compromise any aspirations for greater global influence,” Hadley said, in a transcript of his remarks.

The US criticism came as Russia, the world’s biggest gas supplier, was locked in a dispute with Ukraine that has halted gas supplies for European customers.

“The next administration will have the challenge of building on our cooperation with Russia while also confronting that nation’s aggressiveness and uncertain intentions,” Hadley said.

While President George W Bush had forged a partnership with Russia on several issues, the relationship faced limits due to Moscow’s failure to uphold human rights, he said.

“In so far as Russia falls short of respecting the rights and freedoms of its people and its neighbours, the scope of our partnership is necessarily and correspondingly limited,” he said.

“President Bush has made clear to Russia’s leaders that the ‘great powers’ of the 21st century cannot pursue the coercive policies of the 19th century.”

He said Bush has sought to move beyond Cold War rivalries, cooperating in areas of common interest “while managing our differences in a frank, consistent, and transparent way.”

(Agencies)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

He said what’s important is that the LTTE will fight back and reclaim what is theirs.

Dismissing the occupation, Nadesan said, “Kilinochchi town was captured more than once by the Sri Lanka military earlier. Similarly, we have also re-captured the town on earlier occasions, effectively bringing the town under our control to serve the administrative and infrastructure needs. It is in Kilinochchi, where the Sri Lankan forces have suffered historic debacles.”

The occupation of the town as an insignificant setback in the context of a liberation struggle. We have taken forward our struggle for more than 30 years, solely relying on the support of our people.

Pointing out that Kilinochchi was where Sri Lanka military has suffered previous historic debacles, Nadesan, in an interview with TamilNet on Monday dismissed the occupation of the town as an insignificant setback in the context of a liberation struggle, and said, Tamil peoples support has always been LTTE’s strength, and with the moral backing of the global Tamil community, the movement will surmount current and future challenges.

“We have taken forward our struggle for more than 30 years, solely relying on the support of our people,” he said, reiterating that the Tigers were spearheading the Tamil struggle, which was based on legitimate political aspirations as defined by the democratic mandate in the elections of 1977.

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

“We are at a critical moment, we are in a crossroads,” said Liu Guijin yesterday (January 7), following talks with Sudanese foreign ministry officials. “An indictment would have disastrous consequences on the Darfur issue.”

International Criminal Court (ICC) judges are examining evidence presented in July to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar al-Beshir on 10 counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
  
“Efforts are still going on to find a political solution,” Liu said.
  
Sudan, whose most powerful ally is China, has campaigned hard to stall any possible ICC proceedings and convince a sceptical West that it is serious about unblocking stalled peace efforts in Darfur.
  
Many fear that if a warrant is issued a furious Sudan could evict UN peacekeepers and aid workers from the war-torn region.
  
But Liu also said China hoped Sudan would take a responsible path.
  
“Even if in the worst case that the warrant be issued, we hope and we believe that the government of Sudan will continue to exert constraint, and to cooperate with the international community,” he added.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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Two weeks from his January 20 inauguration, Obama said yesterday (January 7) the appointment of former Treasury official Nancy Killefer as his administration’s “chief performance officer” was no cosmetic exercise.

Reiterating that trillion dollar deficits were likely to be “a reality for years to come,” Obama pledged to uphold his campaign promise to “scour this budget, line by line, eliminating what we don’t need, or what doesn’t work.”

“That’s why the appointment I’m announcing today is among the most important I will make,” he told reporters, directing his incoming cabinet to meet early with McKinsey consultant Killefer to get their departmental spending in shape.

Despite his deficit-cutting promises, Obama is pushing an enormous stimulus package through Congress that Democrats hope to adopt by mid-February, insisting that upfront spending is urgently needed.

Aides have said the recession-fighting package will likely total $775 billion over two years, while economists say it could go as high as $1.2 trillion.

“We expect that it will be on the high end of our estimates but will not be as high as some economists have recommended, because of the constraint and concerns we have about the existing deficit,” Obama said.

(Agencies)

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In a historic tableau, Obama said he welcomed the insights of his predecessors as Bush wished him well when he takes over on January 20.

“All the gentlemen here understand both the pressures and possibilities of this office,” said Obama, standing next to Bush and three former occupants of the White House, ex-presidents Bill Clinton, George H W Bush and Jimmy Carter.

“And for me to have the opportunity to get advice, good counsel and fellowship with these individuals is extraordinary. And I’m very grateful to all of them,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.

Bush, with less than two weeks to go before he steps down after entering the White House in 2001, said regardless of party differences he wanted Obama to succeed.

“One message that I have and that I think we all share is that we want you to succeed,” Bush told Obama before the men went into a private lunch.

“Whether we’re Democrat or Republican, we care deeply about this country. And to the extent we can, we look forward to sharing our experiences with you,” Bush said.

White House spokeswoman Dan Perino called it “a historic gathering,” saying Bush was “happy to welcome President-elect Obama to lunch today, because he will soon be a member of this small group.”

“And although they may disagree on some policy prescriptions in order to solve problems in America, they’re obviously all rooting for the same team,” she said.

(Agencies)

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A brief statement issued by the Prime Minister’s House said Yousuf Raza Gilani had sacked Durrani “for his irresponsible behaviour (of) not taking Prime Minister and other stakeholders into confidence and lack of coordination on matters of national security”.

Gilani was quoted by Geo News channel as saying that he had sacked Durrani for commenting on the issue of the nationality of Iman alias Ajmal Kasav without taking him (Gilani) or the government into confidence. The premier told the channel that Durrani’s “irresponsible” comments had affected Pakistan’s image and went against the government’s policies.

The move came soon after Information Minister Sherry Rehman and Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq both told reporters that an investigation by Pakistani security agencies had confirmed that Kasav was a Pakistani national. Rehman also said Pakistan’s investigation into the Mumbai attacks was continuing. Some reports suggested that Durrani’s sacking would have to be endorsed by President Asif Ali Zardari.

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

The Pakistani government will now have to take a decision on Kasav’s demand for legal aid from the Pakistani government.

Just a fortnight ago, TIMES NOW had reported that Kasav had written a letter where apart from admitting to being a Pakistani, Kasav made an appeal for legal aid and asked his country for his partners to be given a proper burial.

The admission to Kasav’s nationality implies that Pakistan is under pressure to supply information on Kasav, and cannot dismiss his confession. Pakistan will have to explain initial denial and probe possible involvement of state actors.

Further, Pakistan will also have to explain the origin of the nine other terrorists. Islamabad will have to clarify its original denial.

Also read: ‘Pakistan not taking Kasav’s letter seriously’

The Pakistani government had gone out of its way to cover Ajmal Kasav’s antecedants when proved otherwise by the Pakistani press, even cordoning off his ancestral village. With the truth exposed, Pakistan will have to answer questions — that might end up embarrassing them.

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

Kimberly Rivera said on Wednesday (January 7) that her requests to stay on humanitarian and compassionate grounds were rejected. Rivera is likely to be court-martialed when she returns to the United States and could face up to five years in prison.

Rivera, a first class army private stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado, served in Iraq in 2006 and came to Canada the following year after she refused redeployment.

She lives in Toronto with her husband and three children–the youngest is six weeks old and Canadian born.

Rivera said she’ll discuss her options with her husband and supporters but feels she’s come to the “end of the road.”

The family must leave Canada by Jan 27 unless the order is reversed.

The group War Resisters Support Campaign says four other resisters and their families face deportation in January alone.

Last July, Robin Long became the first American resister to the Iraq war to be removed by Canadian authorities. Long, who was also stationed at Fort Carson, was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of desertion.

During the Vietnam War, up to 90,000 Americans successfully won refuge in Canada, most of them to avoid the military draft. The majority went home after the United States granted amnesty in the late 1970s. Many also were given permanent residence status in Canada that eventually resulted in citizenship.

(Agencies)

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If approved by the panel, Clinton could be confirmed by the full Senate before Obama takes office on January 20.

In advance of the hearing, Clinton has been reaching out to individual senators through telephone calls and lengthy sit-down meetings, including an hour long meeting last month with Sen Richard Lugar, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee.
    
Yesterday, Clinton attended the Democrats’ weekly policy lunch at the Capitol building. She declined to talk with reporters afterward.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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With criticism rising of the operation’s spiraling civilian death toll and Gazans increasingly suffering the effects of nonstop airstrikes and shelling, Israel’s military said it would open “humanitarian corridors” to allow aid supplies to reach Palestinians.

Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner said there would be a “recess in offensive operations” during the day to allow in supplies and fuel. Government officials said the lull would last from 1 to 4 p m (1100-1400 GMT) local time. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan had not been officially announced.

The military said it had been given the directive by the government and will carry it out. As Israel’s leadership met in the morning in Tel Aviv, sounds of heavy gunfire and thick plumes of smoke engulfed the Zeitoun neighborhood east of Gaza City.

Israel said it struck 40 Hamas targets during the hours of darkness. Gaza health officials said new strikes this morning killed eight people. Outrage over an Israeli strike yesterday near a UN school that killed 39 people continued, with the UN agency responsible for the building demanding an “impartial investigation” into the attack.

About 300 of the more than 670 Palestinians killed so far are civilians, of those at least 130 are children age 16 and under, says the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights, which tracks casualties. 

Sarkozy says Israel accepts Gaza truce plan

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Wednesday Israel and the Palestinian Authority had accepted a truce plan for Gaza announced by Egypt on Tuesday.

“The president is delighted by the acceptance by Israel and the Palestinian Authority of the Franco-Egyptian plan presented last night in Sharm el-Sheikh by (Egyptian) President (Hosni) Mubarak,” said a statement from Sarkozy’s office.

“The head of state calls for this plan to be implemented as quickly as possible for the suffering of the population to stop.” 

(With inputs form agencies)

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Advancing troops captured the second forward defence line of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Muhamalai and Kilaly and also made rapid gains in their move to wrest the Elephant Pass, Defence Ministry officials said.

Lankan troops are putting on pressure on LTTE defences on the pass by advancing from both Kilinochchi as well as Jaffna to achieve a link up of forces. Simultaneously, the government forces are also keeping up the momentum towards seizing the last Tiger bastion of Mullaittivu.

According to the officials, the troops have further advanced 2 kms from the Muhamalai areas in Jaffna and 1.5 kms near the Palaly airbase today. At Elephant Pass, the LTTE rebel suffered damages during confrontation with the security forces yesterday, the officials said.

Troops of 59 Division on advance captured remaining LTTE hideouts in Mullaittivu front. It had several confrontations with LTTE fighters yesterday, inflicting damages to the rebels. Hundreds of civilians from Mullaittiuvu, Puthukkudiyiruppu and Visvamadu areas have sought protection with security forces during the past few days, the Defence ministry said.

According to the military troops, they traced groups of LTTE militants in general area Mulliyaweli yesterday and found 3 bodies of LTTE cadres killed during the gun battle. Two T-56 Weapons and eight T-56 Magazines were also among the items uncovered from the spot. In Mulliaweli, troops confronted the Tiger rebels on two occasions yesterday.

Three T-56 weapons, one Light Machine Gun (LMG) Weapon and a Communication Set were uncovered in a subsequent search operation. Troops also confronted with LTTE fighters in Alakkulam and Oddusuddan in Mullaittivu areas yesterday.

Electronic Warfare sources confirmed that LTTE terrorists received heavy damages due to the security forces attack. Meanwhile, Army troop’s sustained minor damages in a confrontation took place in the Periyakulam area in the region last afternoon.

Separately, LTTE fighters sustained damages in a confrontation in the Driarukulam area near Kilinochchi last afternoon, the military said. Troops on the other hand suffered minor damages in antipersonnel mine explosion in the Iranamadu area near Kilinochchi, the Media Centre for National Security said.

Tiger rebels sustained heavy damages during six different confrontations in the Murasumodei area near Kilinochchi yesterday, it said adding one decomposed body of a one male and a female tiger rebel was recovered from the area.

In a huge cache, the army recovered 700 anti-personnel mines from the area. Meanwhile, the defence ministry has claimed that LTTE has threatened civilians in the areas still held by it if any attempt made to flee.

As many as 25 innocent civilians escaped from the LTTE in un-cleared areas have arrived at the Driarukulam area near Kilinochchi seeking the protection of government troops last morning. Separately, 17 civilians reached the army held areas from Jayasinhapura the officials said.

Meanwhile, the Lankan Army Chief has rubbished suggestions that the LTTE has made “strategic” retreat from its strongholds, stressing that the “fighting machine” of the Tamil Tigers is now “constrained”. “No fighting force like the LTTE has ever withdrawn from 95 percent of the land mass it occupied as a strategic move,” Sarath Fonseka said.

The Army Chief underlined that the LTTE not only lost 95 percent of the land it held but also lost within the last one year 8,000 cadres out of whom the Lanka military was aware of the identity of 4,000. The LTTE “fighting machine” is constrained to a triangular area in two sides of which are about 40 kilometers each in the Mullaittivu area roughly, Fonseka told the state-owned Independent Television Network (ITN).

“It is a clear defeat where they lose at least one square kilometer daily until they are flushed out finally in a short period of time. Every day the army also discovered 5 to 7 corpses of the LTTE at the war front,” the army commander was quoted as saying by the Defence Ministry website.

Tamil Tigers, now virtually on the run, have claimed that they still retained the capability to seize back LTTE’s de-facto capital of Killinochchi. Emerging after the devastating defeat at the hands of Lankan Army, LTTE political chief B Nadesan said that “Kilinochchi town was captured more than once by the Sri Lanka military earlier.”

“Similarly, we have also re-captured the town on earlier occasions, effectively bringing the town under our control to serve the administrative and infrastructure needs,” Nadesan was quoted by pro-LTTE website Tamilnet. Army Chief Fonseka stressed that the LTTE took advantage of the ceasefire period to raise its fighter force by over four times besides enhancing its weapon power during the period.

When asked how the LTTE had regrouped using the ceasefire agreement, the army commander said the Tamil Tigers had increased their combat soldiers from 2,500 to more than 11,000 during the four years of the agreement that came into effect from February 2002.

They only possessed two artillery guns captured from the army prior to the truce, he said. “They were increased many fold, machine guns, Dvora like fast boats and three fixed wing airplanes were added to their strength. They established banks, courts, police and customs to generate income (during the period),” Fonseka pointed out.

Hailing the role of President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the army’s success, Fonseka said his support in this regard was very vital. He also praised the efforts of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa for the recent achievements of the security forces.

Reports of fighting have increased in recent months amid government’s declaration to crush the group. The Tamil Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for an independent state for the minority ethnic Tamils, alleging marginalization of the community for decades by governments dominated by the Sinhalese. Over 70,000 people have been killed in the civil war in the Island nation.

(With inputs from agencies)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

Kaziranga National Park of Assam, river Ganges, Sundarban forest and Pangong Lake have qualified under the rules of participation, a news release of New7Wonders said as results of the first phase of people’s voting were announced at the New7Wonders foundation headquarters in Zurich.

These selected sites are among 261 nominees from 222 countries across the world participating in the contest. Grand Canyon, Loch Ness, Mount Fuji and the Black Forest, Niagra falls, the Dead Sea are some among them.

The global contest is being organised to select the seven wonders of the world in which people all over the world are voting in three phases. Top 77 will be selected from the first two out of which 21 finalists would be chosen by New7Wonders panel of experts.

Voting for the second phase would continue till July 7, the New7Wonders release said adding that the finalists will be announced on July 21.

The final or third phase of poll will begin thereafter, which will continue for two years and the seven wonders would be officially declared in 2011, the New7Wonders release said.

Tia Viering, head of communications for New7Wonders congratulated India for emerging successful in the first phase.

In the last such contest held in 2007 India’s Taj Mahal was among the official wonders.

(Agencies)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

Mubarak’s plan calls for a cease-fire for a limited period of time designed to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, an urgent meeting between both Israel and the Palestinians to discuss ways to prevent further military action and reasons for the conflict including lifting the blockade of Gaza.

He also once again called on the Palestinian Authority, under the control of President Mahmoud Abbas, and Palestinian factions to renew reconciliation talks; the Palestinian territories have been split between the West Bank under Abbas and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

Mubarak did not specifically mention the militant group Hamas by name, but a Hamas delegate who came to Cairo for talks with the Egyptians yesterday said the group would take the proposal back to its Damascus, Syria headquarters for discussion. The delegate did not want to be named due to the sensitivity of the discussions.

The Egyptian leader said he was offering the proposal in order to end the fighting on the Gaza Strip, where Egypt has in the past played a mediator role including helping bring about a six-month truce between Hamas and Israel which expired in December just before the recent violence began. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, said during the news conference that there is a “small hope” for an end to the Gaza violence.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Dipu Moni, Bangladesh’s new foreign minister, said the government planed to set up an “effective” regional body to fight terrorism in the region as she pledged to increase cooperation among its neighbors in tackling the menace.

“Militancy and terrorism are not confined to geographical boundaries, that’s why we must take effective steps to fight them in consultations with our neighboring countries,” underlined Moni, the first woman to hold the foreign minister’s post in the Muslim-majority nation.

“We will do that because we want to establish peace and stability in the entire region,” she told mediapersons as she took charge of the key ministry. Moni is among the two first time women lawmakers, who have have been assigned key portfolios.

Moni, a first time MP and personal physician of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been allocated the key foreign ministry, while another new member, Sahara Khatun, a practising lawyer was assigned the home affairs portfolio.

In a bid to make a fresh start, Hasina, who was sworn in yesterday, allocated portfolios to 31 council of ministers including five women members. Of the 31, as many as 25 are newcomers and another woman Motia Choudhry has retained the agriculture ministry, which she held in Hasina’s previous administration.

The foreign minister is the daughter of former activist Mohammad Abdul Wadud, who was close to the country’s founder, Hasina’s father Sheikh Mujibur Rehman. Foreign minister Moni is a doctor by profession and the central women affairs secretary of the Awami League, which swept to power winning a three-fourths majority in the 300-member Parliament.

Economist Abumal Abdul Muhith was appointed the new Finance Minister in a cabinet that consists of only six members who have served as ministers in earlier governments. Besides Muhith and Choudhry, Syed Asharaful Islam, appointed as local government, rural development and cooperatives minister; Syed Abul Hussein, communication and A K Khondkar, Planning are the only council members who had earlier held ministries.

The Prime Minister kept some ministries with herself that include defence, cabinet division, energy, religious affairs and women and children affairs among others. The formation of the council of ministers surprised several analysts as most Awami League bigwigs, including Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Tofail Ahmed, Abdul Jalil and Suranjit Sengupta, failed to carve a place in the cabinet.

Asked to comment about her preference to the new faces in the council of ministers, Hasina said, “everyone wants to see new faces.” “They all do politics … the ministers in our past government (1996-2001) also were new faces. If chances come, more new faces could be seen, there is no problem for that,” she said.

“Taking lessons from the past, Hasina has dropped those who are tainted by (various) allegations,” a top aide to the AL chief was quoted as saying by a local news agency. Prime Minister Hasina, on her first day in the office, today paid tributes to the country’s founder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and martyrs of 1971 Liberation War. This is Hasina’s second term as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She had earlier headed the Awami League-led government from 1996 to 2001.

(With inputs from agencies)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

A brief statement issued by the Prime Minister’s House said Yousuf Raza Gilani had sacked Durrani “for his irresponsible behaviour (of) not taking Prime Minister and other stakeholders into confidence and lack of coordination on matters of national security”.

Gilani was quoted by Geo News channel as saying that he had sacked Durrani for commenting on the issue of the nationality of Iman alias Ajmal Kasav without taking him (Gilani) or the government into confidence. The premier told the channel that Durrani’s “irresponsible” comments had affected Pakistan’s image and went against the government’s policies.

The move came soon after Information Minister Sherry Rehman and Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq both told reporters that an investigation by Pakistani security agencies had confirmed that Kasav was a Pakistani national. Rehman also said Pakistan’s investigation into the Mumbai attacks was continuing. Some reports suggested that Durrani’s sacking would have to be endorsed by President Asif Ali Zardari.

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

He was replying to questions by reporters who asked for confirmation of the report shortly after television channels broadcast the news that investigations have revealed that Kasav is a Pakistani. Pakistani sources, however, sought to suggest that Kasab had no links to official agencies.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Sherry Rehman also confirmed that an investigation has revealed that the lone surviving Mumbai gunman is a Pakistani citizen, as India has alleged. Up until now Pakistan had refused to confirm Ajmal Kasav’s nationality, saying he was not registered in the country’s databases.

Rehman confirmed Kasav was a Pakistani in a text message but gave no other details. The confirmation today comes a day after New Delhi handed over a dossier of what it said was evidence linking the Mumbai attackers to Pakistan.

The terror attacks on November 26 in Mumbai killed 164 people and left nine of 10 gunmen dead. Pakistan has made some moves against groups allegedly linked to the attacks. 

Earlier, Pakistan’s Dawn News television had reported that the lone surviving gunman captured after November’s militant attacks on Mumbai–Amir Ajmal Kasav– is a Pakistani.

India has been saying for weeks the gunman in its custody, Mohammed Ajmal Kasav, is Pakistani. The Pakistani government had said it could not find his name on a national database of citizens and it was investigating.

The sources said that Pakistan’s own investigation into the antecedents of Kasav had started soon after reports suggested that he was a Pakistani national. The law enforcement agencies wanted to be doubly sure as there were no records of Kasav in Pakistan’s national database, the channel said.
    
The identity of the nine other terrorists involved in the Mumbai attacks is yet to be established, Dawn News quoted the sources as saying.
   
The law enforcement agencies are now working to ascertain how Kasav reached Mumbai to carry out the attacks, the sources were quoted as saying. Kasab’s father had confirmed to Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper soon after the Mumbai attacks that the gunman whose photos were beamed around the world by the media was his son.
    
Other residents of Faridkot had told Geo News channel that Kasav had last visited home about six months before the attacks occurred and told his mother that he was going away for ‘jehad’. Pakistani authorities have received a letter from Kasav in which he has asked for consular access and legal aid.

(With inputs from agencies)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq said the “information material received from India is being seriously examined”. 

Pakistan is “fully determined in its investigations to uncover full facts pertaining to the Mumbai incident and is cognizant of the need for establishing legally tenable evidence,” Sadiq said in a statement.

At the same time, he said Pakistan “regrets the propaganda campaign unleashed by India to malign Pakistan”. 

The “blame game and political point-scoring” is counter-productive and unacceptable, he added.

Noting that terrorism is a “pernicious problem afflicting South Asia”, Sadiq called for a “pragmatic and responsible approach, including cooperation between the relevant investigation departments”.

He said this is the “imperative need of the hour to deal with the Mumbai terrorist attacks and to prevent any such incident in India, Pakistan or elsewhere”. 

Earlier, Pakistan’s top political leadership had decided to conduct its own investigation to professionally analyse the information related to the terrorist incident that was handed over by India in a dossier two days back.  

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani discussed the regional situation during a meeting yesterday and decided “to carry out a credible investigation of the evidence provided by India”, The News daily quoted sources as saying. 

The two leaders decided that Pakistani investigators should “professionally analyse” the information about the terrorist attacks, the Daily Times quoted sources as saying.      

They agreed that Pakistan should extend “complete cooperation to India in the investigations”. 

Zardari and Gilani agreed that if anyone is found guilty, “action will be taken against them in accordance with (Pakistani) laws and no one will be handed over to India”, the sources said.

Information Minister Sherry Rehman yesterday said Pakistan should be provided access to the scene of the crime so that it could push forward its own probe into the Mumbai attacks.

India and Pakistan have traded angry words over the issue of involvement of Pakistan’s official agencies in the Mumbai attacks. 

Hours after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said “some official agencies” in Pakistan had backed the attacks, Islamabad issued a strongly worded statement to dismiss the charge.

Media reports also quoted sources as saying that Zardari and Gilani had rejected Singh’s comments.

On Monday (January 5), India handed over a dossier on its probe into the Mumbai attacks to Pakistan, asking it to take action against elements in the country which were involved in planning and executing the terrorist strike.  

Pak should act on evidence given by India: Egypt

Egypt, a key Arab country, today (January 7) said Pakistan will have to act on the evidence provided by India on Mumbai attacks and cooperate in ensuring punishment to those behind Mumbai terror attack. 

“As long as there is evidence, Pakistan will have to do its exercise (of working on the evidence) as India  has done its exercise,” Egypt’s Minister for Social Solidarity Ali El Mosselhi told the media 

Mosselhi, who is on a three-day visit to India, was responding when asked about his country’s message to Islamabad in the wake of evidence provided by India about involvement of Pakistan-based elements in the Mumbai attack. 

Noting that some people based in Pakistan have been accused of being behind the Mumbai attack, he said “I think Pakistan will cooperate in solving the case in order to tell the people, who are doing this act, that  what they did was wrong and that they have to be responsible for it.”   

(Agencies)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)

The announcement was made by Prime Minister Prachanda during a special address to Parliament telecast live by the state-run television. He said the appointment of the two local priests by the Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), of which he is a patron too, in place of the Indian priests has been cancelled.

Prachanda said the trust has been instructed to begin the process of selecting new priests through open competition, which was the major demand of the agitating priests and the local people. “I have cancelled the appointment of the new priests immediately and urged the old (Indian) priests to continue with the religious ceremony,” he said.

Earlier, three Indian priests had submitted their resignation, including chief priest Mahabaleshwor Bhatta. “I have requested them to continue their job till new priests are appointed through proper procedure,” Prachanda said.

He said now the ‘Nitya Puja’, the regular ritual of worshipping at the temple, will continue from tomorrow. “I have requested the Indian priests to resume their duty from tomorrow as the Nitya Puja should not be disrupted.”

(With inputs from agencies)

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According to police, arsonists first tried to smash open a window of a synagogue at Brondesbury Park in northwest London but failed because of the toughened glass in place to protect such buildings from terrorist attacks. Having been thwarted, they tried to set the front door of the building alight with petrol, causing some damage to the exterior of the premises, Mark Gardner of the Jewish Charity, said.

Meanwhile, according to a report in The Sun today, the TV channels apprentice boss Sir Alan Sugar, Amy Winehouse and Mark Ranson are among other prominent names who found a place the extremist’s hit-list. Labour Peer and friend of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, Lord Levy, Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Princess Diana’s lawyer Anthony Julius are also understood to be potential targets.

British anti-terror expert Glen Jenvey said online forum Ummah is being used to prepare a deadly backlash against UK Jews. His warning came as Europe was hit by anti-Semitic attacks over Israel’s push into the Gaza strip. On the Ummah site, “Saladin1970″ asks for help compiling “a list of those who support Israel”. “Abuislam” asks: “Have we got a list of top Jews we can target? Can someone post names and addresses?” Saladin1970 gives a link to the Power 100 list of top British Jews.

Al-Qaeda’s second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri called on Muslims yesterday to strike Western and Israeli targets “wherever you can”. Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar urged the murder of Jewish children, saying Israel “legitimised the killing of their people all over the world”.

The Community Security Trust, which advises Britain’s Jewish community on safety, said: “We are advising prominent Jewish individuals to be conscious of potential threats.” The group has recorded 24 anti-Jewish incidents since December 29, including the arson raid on the London synagogue. There have been synagogue attacks in France and Sweden also.

(With inputs from agencies)

( This post is from an independent writer. The opinions and views expressed herein are those of the author and are not endorsed by APakistanNews.Com.)