| US says it is ready to engage Iran any time Washington, July 29 : The United States has said that it is fully prepared to hold talks with Iran anytime on the nuclear issue and hoped for high-level parleys soon along with five other world powers on the matter. "We are clearly indicating a willingness to engage Iran directly and we'll see how Iran responds in the coming days and weeks," State Department spokesman P J Crowley said. The Obama Administration, which recently took the lead at the UN Security Council to slap fresh sets of sanctions against Iran and this month had announced a series of sanctions against it, however said such move alone would not be able to achieve the goals of the international community. "We see important utility in sanctions. Sanctions by themselves will not answer the questions that the international community has. Sanctions by themselves will not assuage the concerns that we have," Crowley told reporters. "Ultimately, there needs to be a process and dialogue where Iran can come forward and, we hope, answer the questions that we have about the nature of its programme," he said. "If Iran remains out of compliance with its international obligations, and at the same time, it continues activity of great concern to us and to others, including the further enrichment of nuclear material, then that has consequences and we will evaluate the choices that Iran makes," Crowley said. Noting that the US is using sanctions to apply pressure on Iran, he hoped the Iranian leadership will change its assessment of its current course and the costs that are attended to that. "We think that the sanctions are having an effect and can have an additional effect. We're seeing companies and countries retreat from engaging in commerce with Iranian entities. And this is making it more difficult for Iran to do business," he said. "This is exactly what we hope will cause the Iranian Government to assess where it is and move to constructively engage the international community. There's no guarantee of success, but we think the sanctions are an important tool as we seek to try to answer the questions that we have about Iran’s intentions," Crowley said. The United States is now going about the business of fully implementing international sanctions, adding additional steps at the national level. "We think they're already starting to have an effect. Clearly, these kind of effects that we desire don't happen overnight. So we're willing to give sanctions some time and then evaluate their efficacy," he said. Iran and India have cultivated good ties: Congressional report Washington, July 29 : Noting that Tehran looks at its South Asian allies to counter pressure from the US and Europe, a Congressional report has said that the Islamic republic and India have cultivated good ties with each other. "Iran and India have cultivated good relations with each other in order to enable each to pursue its own interests and avoid mutual conflict," the independent Congressional Research Service (CRS) said in its latest report on Iran, against whom the US has slapped series of economic sanctions. "Some Indian diplomats believe that India is coming under undue US pressure to reduce its ties to Iran. India, for now, appears to be resisting, but it is not expanding relations with Iran, either," the 69-page report said. One aspect of the relationship involves not only the potential building of a natural gas pipeline from Iran, through Pakistan, to India, but also the supplies of gasoline to Iran, it said. "While India's participation in a trans-Pakistan pipeline remains uncertain over pricing and security issues, India and Iran reportedly are discussing a direct, undersea pipeline that would bypass Pakistan," it said. Noting that a key supplier has been Reliance Industries Ltd, the report said that in December 2008, some Members of Congress expressed opposition to a decision by the Export-Import Bank to provide up to USD 900 million in loan guarantees to Reliance, because of its gasoline sales to Iran. A provision of the FY2010 consolidated appropriation (P.L. 111-117) ended provision of such loan guarantees to companies that sell gasoline to Iran. "Another source of US concern has been visits to India by some Iranian naval personnel," said the Congressional report. Referring to the co-operation between India and Iran, the CRS said the two backed similar anti- Taliban factions in Afghanistan during 1996-2001 and have a number of mutual economic and even military-to military relationships and projects. Regional repercussions if Qaeda 'returns' to Afghan: Holbrooke Washington, July 29 : As lawmakers increasingly questioned the continued presence of US forces in Afghanistan, America's special envoy for Af-Pak region Richard Holbrooke has warned that a "return" of al-Qaeda and Taliban to the war- torn country would have regional repercussions extending from Beirut to the Himalayas. At a Congressional hearing, Holbrooke argued that the US would not be choosing to fight on the most remote and difficult terrain in the world if it had not been attacked on September 11, 2001. His remarks came as several lawmakers sought the justification of spending tax payers' money for the continued presence of US forces in Afghanistan. "If the outcome is not a good one, al-Qaeda will return to Afghanistan with the Taliban, and there will be regional repercussions that will extend from Beirut to the Himalayas, so we have to deal with those," Holbrooke said in response to a question. However, he informed the Congressmen that the Obama Administration has scaled down its goal in Afghanistan as against those of the previous Bush Administration. "When we took office, we inherited a mission statement from the previous administration, which I don't know if it was public or not, but it was extraordinarily ambitious. It was creating a modern state, a modern democracy in Afghanistan, with limited resources," he said. "The President (Barack Obama) narrowed the mission to a reasonable, achievable goal, and increased the resources ... That was the core of what we did in Afghanistan," he said. Pak furious, but Cameron sticks to 'export of terror' comment London, July 29 : Notwithstanding angry reactions from Islamabad, British Premier David Cameron today refused to retract his remarks that Pakistan must stop the "export of terror", insisting that presence of terrorist outfits in that country was unacceptable. Cameron's remarks that Pakistan must not be allowed to "look both ways" have fuelled a diplomatic row, with an angry Pakistan stating the remarks could damage the prospects for regional peace. Cameron, currently on a visit to India, had delivered a tough message to Pakistan, asking it to stop promoting any "export of terror" to India or anywhere else, and had stated that the country should not be allowed to "look both ways". A Pakistani official said in Islamabad last night that in combating terrorism, Pakistan had done more than any other nation. However, an unperturbed Cameron today said the facts have to be stated as they were, and made it clear that he did not intend to retract his comments. The Prime Minister reiterated that more needs to be done on the terror front in Pakistan. Haqqani Network should be on terror list, says Gen Mattis Washington, July 29 : Leaders of Pakistan-based Haqqani Network as well as those of the Afghan Taliban should be declared as "terrorist-affiliated individuals" for their support to insurgency in Afghanistan, a top American General has said. "Both these groups have engaged in terrorism, and I believe the leaders of both groups should be placed on the State Department list," General James Mattis told lawmakers during his Senate confirmation hearing for Commander of the US Central Command. Mattis was responding to a question from Senator Carl Levin if the Haqqani Network and the Afghan Taliban through its Quetta Shura or council have been engaged in terrorist activities that threaten US security interests and if he believes that these groups should be designated as foreign terror organisations. "Relative to the Haqqani Network, which is based in North Waziristan, neither they nor the Afghan Taliban's Quetta Shura, which is based in Quetta in Pakistan, are on the State Department's list of foreign terrorist organisations," Levin said. "These groups and their senior leaders are involved deeply in supporting the ongoing insurgency in Afghanistan. There's little question that they engage in terrorist activities to the detriment of the United States national security interests and to the coalition (forces)," the Senator said. Taliban 'congratulate' Dutch on Afghanistan pull-out: report The Hague, July 29 : The Taliban have congratulated the Netherlands' government for the upcoming pull-out of their troops from Afghanistan, according to a newspaper interview with a spokesman from the group. "We want to wholeheartedly congratulate the citizens and government of the Netherlands for having the courage they have had to take this independent decision," Qari Yusuf Ahmadij told Dutch daily Volkskrant. "We hope that other countries with troops stationed in Afghanistan will follow the Netherlands example and withdraw their troops," said Ahmadij, who was described as the Taliban's spokesman for west and south Afghanistan. The deployment of about 1,950 Dutch troops in Afghanistan ends on Sunday after four years on Sunday amid concerns about the void it will leave. NATO had asked the Netherlands to extend the mission, which started in 2006 and has cost the lives of 24 soldiers, by a year to August 2011. This sparked a political row that led to the government collapsing in February and the end of the Dutch deployment. The Labour party, which was part of the governing coalition at the time and was against extending the mission, "took one of the most important decisions ever taken by the Dutch government and its citizens," Ahmadij said. "Once again we call on European countries that have soldiers in Afghanistan to leave the country. Because it is not your war, but a war of the United States, which aims to reach their imperlialistic objectives in the world and especially in this region," he said. UN chief voices concern over security situation in Kashmir United Nations, July 29 : In a departure from diplomatic norms, UN Secretary General Ban Ki- moon has issued a statement voicing concern over the security situation in Kashmir over the past one month. "In relation to recent developments in Kashmir, the Secretary General is concerned over the prevailing security situation there over the past month," Farhan Haq, Ban's Pakistani-origin spokesperson, said in the statement. "He (the UN chief) calls on all concerned to exercise utmost restraint and address problems peacefully," Haq added. The Secretary General's unprecedented statement comes in the backdrop of violence in the Kashmir Valley which has led to the death of 17 people and repeated shutdown at the behest of separatists. Ban went further and called for "rekindling the spirit of the composite dialogue" between India and Pakistan, which India disfavours till Pakistan addresses the terrorism issue. "He (Ban) encourages both sides to rekindle the spirit of the composite dialogue, which was initiated in 2004 and had made encouraging progress on some important confidence building measures, and to make renewed efforts to address outstanding issues, including on Jammu and Kashmir," the statement said. "He underlines the need for patience, perseverance and compromise on all sides," it added. Indian-American woman pleads guilty in USD 34 mn fraud case Washington, July 29 : An Indian-American woman executive has pleaded guilty to defrauding her company of USD 34 million to pay for her "irrational" buying sprees and faces up to 20 years in jail on conviction. 46-year-old Sujata Sachdeva, a former Vice President of finance at Koss Corporation, pleaded guilty to all the six counts of wire fraud, for which she was charged early this year, before a Milwaukee court in Wisconsin on Tuesday. "Ms Sachdeva recognises the harm she has caused to her employers, the company shareholders, her colleagues and her friends, but she most regrets the pain and public embarrassment she has caused to her husband, Ramesh, and their two young children," her attorney Mike Hart said. Reading out a statement with Sachdeva standing besides him outside the Milwaukee court, Hart said she has cooperated with federal prosecutors to recover as much of the merchandise as possible to pay restitution to Koss Corporation, a headphone manufacturer. Sachdeva has begun to address the issues that led to her conduct and accepts full responsibility for her actions, and hopes for a fair and just result, Hart said. Facing five to 20 years of imprisonment, if convicted, Sachdeva remains free on bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for October 22. According to the indictment, Sachdeva authorised numerous wire transfers of funds from bank accounts maintained by Koss to pay for her American Express credit card bills. Karzai asks West to destroy Pakistan militant havens Kabul, July 29 : Afghan President Hamid Karzai today asked his Western allies to destroy Islamist militant sanctuaries in neighbouring Pakistan after thousands of secret US files were leaked. "The time has come for our international allies to know that the war against terrorism is not in Afghanistan's homes and villages," Karzai told a news conference in the Afghan capital Kabul. "But rather this war is in the sanctuaries, funding centres and training places of terrorism which are outside Afghanistan. "Whether we are able to destroy these sanctuaries or not is another question. We will try what we can... Our international allies have this ability, but the question is why they are not doing it?" His remarks came just two days after Afghanistan's national security adviser, Rangeen Dadfar Spanta, called on the West to review policy towards Pakistan after leaked Pentagon documents pointed to Pakistani double-dealing. Kabul has consistently accused Pakistan's intelligence agency of supporting Taliban insurgents -- including masterminding attacks against Afghan and US-led targets in the country. Islamabad denies the claims. Kabul said information contained in documents released on whistleblowing website WikiLeaks on Sunday backed its long-held position. A secretive US drone war routinely targets Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked groups holed up in Pakistan's lawless border districts with Afghanistan. Indonesian woman gets 3-years' jail for terrorism Jakarta, July 29 : An Indonesian court sentenced a woman to three years in prison today for harbouring terrorists, including one of Southeast Asia's most-wanted men. Putri Munawaroh was arrested after police raided her house in Central Java, sparking a gunbattle that killed Noordin Top, the alleged head of the al-Qaida-linked network Jemaah Islamiyah, and three other suspects, including her husband. The 21-year-old Munawaroh, then pregnant, was wounded in the September 2009 shootout. She later gave birth to a son, who lives with her in prison. The South Jakarta District Court found her guilty of violating the country's Anti-Terror Law by providing assistance to wanted militants, said presiding judge Ida Bagus Widyantara. Noordin, a Malaysian national, was wanted in connection with a spate of bombings in Indonesia, including the 2002 attack on two Bali nightclubs that killed 202 people, many of them foreign tourists. He also was accused of masterminding suicide attacks one year ago at the Ritz-Carlton and J W Marriott hotels in the capital, Jakarta, that left seven dead. Police have arrested and convicted hundreds on terrorism charges in recent years, but Munawaroh is only the second woman. Her lawyers said she was innocent and, therefore, they will appeal the verdict, which was five years lighter than the prosecutors' demand. Win reality show in Malaysia and become Imam New York, July 29 : While TV shows elsewhere lure participants by cash bonanza and cars, the top prize in a reality show in Malaysia, which has cast a spell on viewers, is the winner becomes an Imam. Turning an Imam is not only the top prize, with winner also getting a scholarship to study in Saudi Arabia and an all-expenses-paid pilgrimage to Mecca. The competition is called "Imam Muda" or "Young Leader," which the New York Times described as "a Malaysian venture into religious-themed reality TV." With a unique prize, come a different set of rules and challenges that the contestants must follow and master. Before each episode, for instance, the contestants gather to recite a prayer. The challenges include washing corpses in preparation for burial and ensuring that animals are slaughtered according to Islamic law, NYT reported. The show began in May with 10 contestants who were selected from thousands of applicants. Participants between the ages of 18 to 27 must prove to be a good Imam in both practice and theory. The show has already acquired a big following in the country especially among women. "If you have a husband in your family with that kind of knowledge, people will look up to you," said Malina Ibarhim, a 32-year-old banker, who tunes in with her folks. And viewership will rise tomorrow when the winner is picked from the remaining two competitors in a live show. The show down to become the first Imam Muda is between Hizbur Rahman bin Omar Zuhdi, 27, and Asyraf bin Mohammad Ridzuan, 26. Over 50 killed in heavy rains, flash floods in Pak Peshawar, July 29 : Heavy monsoon rains and flash floods have played havoc in northwest Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, claiming lives of over 50 people and damaging crops and homes. Two army battalions have been deployed in areas of Peshawar affected by flash floods to evacuate people, a military spokesman told PTI. A flood emergency cell has been set up at the Peshawar Corps headquarters to cope with the situation. Heavy rains that began on Monday inundated several villages and flash floods swept away mud- brick houses in Shanlga, Swat and Kohat districts, officials said. Over 50 people have been killed, mostly due to collapse of houses in the rain and landslides, they said. In Shangla district alone, 21 people died in rain-related incidents, they said. In Dherai village, nine members of a family died as their house collapsed during torrential rains. Eight persons drowned in flash floods across the district. Four children died in Kohat district when the roof of their house collapsed. Over 30 mud-brick houses collapsed in Peshawar district though no loss of life was reported. Pakistan general balances all sides of conflict Islamabad, July 29 ; As the US searches for an exit from Afghanistan, it is increasingly relying on Pakistan's powerful army chief to help pave the way - despite fresh allegations that spies under his command have long aided the Taliban. Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's critical role in the Afghan conflict was reinforced this month when the civilian government extended his term by three years. Kayani, 58, is known to be popular among US and NATO generals who have sought to enlist his help in battling militants along the country's border with Afghanistan. So crucial is Kayani to the American war effort that when classified documents were posted by Wikileaks this week suggesting that Pakistani spies led by Kayani had colluded with the Taliban, the Obama administration didn't utter a word of opprobrium against him publicly. The Americans need Kayani's cooperation to keep nuclear-armed Pakistan stable and allow US missile strikes against al-Qaida in the country's northwestern border area. The Afghans are cozying up to him with an eye on using Pakistan's links to the Taliban - ties which the Pakistani government denies still exist - to facilitate possible peace talks with the militants. And the Afghan Taliban are counting on him to limit the pressure they feel in their hideouts in Pakistan. Nepal–India ink pact to combat illegal trade in animal parts Kathmandu, July 29 : Nepal and India today inked a key pact to conserve biodiversity and combat illegal trade in wild animals coinciding with the first International Tiger Conservation Day. As Nepal and India are facing similar challenges in conserving the biodiversity, including the tiger, signing of the joint resolutions gives us the responsibility to take the lead role in protecting tigers and showcasing to the world that together we can make a huge difference, said Minister for Forest Dipak Bohara, who was present at the function in the capital. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which aims to conserve biodiversity and strengthening ecological security in the trans-boundary region, was signed by Gopal Prasad Upadhyaya, director general, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal and S.P.Yadav, DIG and joint director, National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment and Forest, India. After signing the MoU with China in June to control illegal trade we expect to enter into a similar agreement with India in the near future, Bohara said. Besides having common boundary, Nepal and India are facing similar challenges of tiger conservation, joint director Yadav pointed out. India and Nepal had excellent working relation in the past and the formalisation of this relation is another milestone, he said. 2nd US sailor's body recovered in Afghanistan Kabul, July 29 : A second US Navy sailor who went missing in a dangerous part of eastern Afghanistan was found dead and his body recovered, a senior US military official and Afghan officials said today. The family of Petty Officer 3rd Class Jarod Newlove, a 25-year-old from the Seattle area, had been notified of his death, the US military official said on condition of anonymity, because he was not authorised to disclose the information. Newlove and Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin McNeley went missing last Friday in Logar province. NATO recovered the body of McNeley -- a 30-year-old father of two from Wheatridge, Colorado -- in the area Sunday. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press in Kabul today that two days ago the Taliban left the "body of a dead American soldier for the US forces" to recover. The Taliban said McNeley was killed in a firefight and insurgents had captured Newlove. Mujahid offered no explanation for Newlove's death. NATO officials have not offered an explanation as to why the two service members were in such a dangerous part of eastern Afghanistan. The sailors were instructors at a counterinsurgency school for Afghan security forces, according to senior military officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case. Four soldiers killed, 22 others wounded in Iraq attacks Baghdad, July 29 : Four Iraqi soldiers were killed and 22 others wounded in bomb attacks in northern and central Iraq today, security officials said. In the deadliest attack three soldiers were killed and 12 wounded when an insurgent detonated a car bomb near an army base in al-Sharqat, 300 kilometres north of Baghdad in Salaheddin province, a police officer said on condition of anonymity. In the former rebel bastion of Fallujah just west of the capital one soldier was killed and five others wounded, including three soldiers, by a bomb attached to a parked motorcycle near an army checkpoint north of the city, an army officer said. He said that in a separate attack in eastern Fallujah, five people were wounded, including three policemen, by a roadside bomb targeting another checkpoint. US and Iraqi officials have warned of the dangers of an upsurge in violence as negotiations on forming a new governing coalition have dragged on, more than four months after parliamentary elections. 4 killed in plane crash at Alaska military base Elmendorf Air Force Base (US), July 29 ; Four airmen were killed in a cargo plane that crashed during a training run at an Air Force base, military authorities said today. The crash sent a fireball hundreds of feet into the air, witnesses said. Three of the men were in the Alaska Air National Guard and the fourth was on active duty at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Air Force Col. John McMullen said. Their names have not been released pending notification of relatives. "We lost four members of our Arctic Warrior family and it's a loss felt across our entire joint installation," McMullen said in a statement, referring to Elmendorf and its adjacent Army base, Fort Richardson. The C-17 was from the 3rd Wing, based at Elmendorf near downtown Anchorage. The crash happened about 6:14 pm (local time) during a training demonstration for an upcoming weekend air show, Lt. Gen. Dana Atkins said. Anchorage Fire Dept. Captain Bryan Grella said his crew was just finishing dinner at about 6:30 p. M. At the downtown fire station when something caught his eye. "It was a big, gray plume of smoke, and I saw a fireball go up in it," he said. The fireball extended about more than 200 meters in the air, he estimated. The crash is the second in Anchorage this summer. In June, one child was killed and four others burned when a small plane crashed after taking off from the city's small-airplane airport downtown. Israeli premier's son punished for showing up late Jerusalem, July 29 : His father may have been an officer in an elite Israeli combat unit who went on to become prime minister, but that was not enough to save corporal Yair Netanyahu when he turned up late for duty. Netanyahu, who is 19 years old and currently doing compulsory military service, was sentenced to 10 days confinement to base after reporting late to his Israel Defence Force (IDF) spokesman's unit, the IDF said in a statement Thursday. "The soldier exercised his right to appeal his punishment and his appeal was brought before an officer with the rank of full colonel, who decided to reduce his sentence and limit it to eight days' confinement," the statement said. "The IDF spokesman's unit relates to Corporal Netanyahu as it relates to any other soldier in the unit," it added. |
