Taliban agree to leave parts of Lower Dir
21 May 2009
TIMERGARA: Taliban in Adenzai tehsil of Lower Dir district agreed on Thursday to wind up their camps and pull out of Asbanr and Gulabad areas within two days.According to sources, the assurance was given to a jirga at a joint gathering of local people and Taliban. The jirga representing the people of Asbanr held talks with the Taliban at government primary school.
It urged Taliban to leave the area because thousands of people had been rendered homeless and scores killed or injured a result of their activities and deployment of security forces in Adenzai tehsil.
Sultanat Yar of Jamaat-i-Islami, Khurshid Ali of Pakistan People’s Party and tribal leaders Umar Bacha and Shamsul Qamar attended the jirga.
A member of the jirga claimed the talks had been fruitful. He said the Taliban, who were represented by a cleric from Swat, had promised to start leaving on Thursday.
‘They did not set any condition for pulling out,’ he said. According to the sources, the Taliban called upon people to cooperate with them because they were struggling for the enforcement of sharia, but members of the jirga said their presence in the area had created problems for the populace.
The jirga had been in contact with Taliban for five days and the militants had left Shawa and Kityari villages on its request. Another member of the jirga claimed the Taliban had promised to leave Adenzai by Friday. Members of jirga urged Lower Dir Nazim Ahmed Hassan Khan and Adenzai Tehsil Nazim Mohammad Omar to persuade the government to withdraw security forces and remove checkpoints in the area after the Taliban leave.
They demanded that the government should stop the military operation and pull out troops to restore peace in Adenzai.
Source:dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan
Iran tests missile capable of hitting Israel
TEHRAN: Iran test-fired a new missile on Wednesday it claimed had a range capable of reaching Israel and US bases in the Middle East, sending a provocative message days after President Barack Obama pressured Tehran to accept his offer for dialogue.
The announcement by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad comes less than a month before Iran’s presidential election. The vote could determine how Iran responds to Washington’s threat of further international sanctions if Tehran does not respond positively by year-end to US attempts to open negotiations on its nuclear programme. Analysts said the launch was likely intended for domestic consumption ahead of the June 12 elections, rather than a message to the US, which has criticised Iran’s past missile launches as stoking instability in the Middle East.
“But I don’t think the Obama administration and other nations will look at this as a constructive sign,” said Patrick Clawson, deputy director for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. After the missile test, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned that if Iran manages to produce nuclear weapons, it would “spark an arms race” in the Middle East.
A US government official confirmed there was an Iranian launch and said Washington was working to determine details such as the missile’s range and trajectory. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media.
Iran said the solid-fuel Sajjil-2 surface-to-surface missile has a range of about 1,200 miles. It is a new version of the Sajjil missile, which the country said it successfully tested late last year and has a similar range.
Many analysts said the launch of the solid-fuel Sajjil was significant because such missiles are more accurate than liquid fuel missiles of similar range, such as Iran’s Shahab-3.
“Defence Minister (Mostafa Mohammad Najjar) has informed me that the Sajjil-2 missile, which has very advanced technology, was launched from Semnan and it landed precisely on the target,” state radio quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. He did not name any future targets for the missile when he spoke during a visit to the city of Semnan, 125 miles east of the capital Tehran, where Iran’s space programme is centered.
Italy said its foreign minister, Franco Frattini, canceled a planned trip to Iran on Wednesday because Ahmadinejad wanted to meet in Semnan rather than in Tehran. Najjar said the Sajjil-2 differs from the Sajjil missile because it “is equipped with a new navigation system as well as precise and sophisticated sensors,” according to Iran’s official news agency.
Sajjil means “baked clay.” It is a reference to a story in the Holy Qura’an, in which birds sent by Almighty Allah drive off an enemy army attacking the holy city of Makkah by pelting them with stones of baked clay.
Ahmadinejad is running for re-election and has been criticised by his opponents and others for antagonising the US and mismanaging the country’s faltering economy. Iran said on Wednesday that its constitutional watchdog has approved three prominent candidates to challenge Ahmadinejad, setting up a showdown between reformists and hard-liners.
Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes have alarmed Israel. The country’s new Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, pressed Obama to step up pressure on Tehran when the two met in Washington on Monday. Israeli officials had no immediate comment on the Iranian missile launch.
Moshe Arens, a former Israeli defence minister who trained in the US as an aerospace engineer, said on Wednesday’s test was apparently part of Iran’s broader quest to develop more advanced missiles and nuclear capability.
“They’re increasing their abilities to launch rockets of longer and longer range that go beyond Israel and into Europe and eventually will carry nuclear weapons,” he said.
“They’re troublemakers and you have to deal with troublemakers.” Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for Israel’s elimination, and the Jewish state has not ruled out a military strike to deal with the Iranian nuclear threat. The Israeli government has been skeptical of US overtures to Iran, which have received a mixed response from Ahmadinejad.
Many Western experts have expressed skepticism about Iran’s professed military achievements, saying the country provides no transparency to verify its claims. Most believe Iran does not yet have the technology to produce nuclear weapons, including warheads for long-range missiles. The US released an intelligence report about 18 months ago that said Iran abandoned a secret nuclear weapons programme in 2003 under international pressure and has not restarted it.
Israel and several other countries have disputed the finding. But many in the West at least agree that Iran is seeking to develop the capability to develop weapons at some point.
A group of US and Russian scientists said in a report issued on Tuesday that Iran could produce a simple nuclear device in one to three years and a nuclear warhead in another five years after that.
The study published by the nonpartisan East West Institute also said Iran is making advances in rocket technology and could develop a ballistic missile capable of firing a 2,200-pound nuclear warhead up to 1,200 miles “in perhaps six to eight years.”
Source: thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=178635
The announcement by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad comes less than a month before Iran’s presidential election. The vote could determine how Iran responds to Washington’s threat of further international sanctions if Tehran does not respond positively by year-end to US attempts to open negotiations on its nuclear programme. Analysts said the launch was likely intended for domestic consumption ahead of the June 12 elections, rather than a message to the US, which has criticised Iran’s past missile launches as stoking instability in the Middle East.
“But I don’t think the Obama administration and other nations will look at this as a constructive sign,” said Patrick Clawson, deputy director for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. After the missile test, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warned that if Iran manages to produce nuclear weapons, it would “spark an arms race” in the Middle East.
A US government official confirmed there was an Iranian launch and said Washington was working to determine details such as the missile’s range and trajectory. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to the media.
Iran said the solid-fuel Sajjil-2 surface-to-surface missile has a range of about 1,200 miles. It is a new version of the Sajjil missile, which the country said it successfully tested late last year and has a similar range.
Many analysts said the launch of the solid-fuel Sajjil was significant because such missiles are more accurate than liquid fuel missiles of similar range, such as Iran’s Shahab-3.
“Defence Minister (Mostafa Mohammad Najjar) has informed me that the Sajjil-2 missile, which has very advanced technology, was launched from Semnan and it landed precisely on the target,” state radio quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. He did not name any future targets for the missile when he spoke during a visit to the city of Semnan, 125 miles east of the capital Tehran, where Iran’s space programme is centered.
Italy said its foreign minister, Franco Frattini, canceled a planned trip to Iran on Wednesday because Ahmadinejad wanted to meet in Semnan rather than in Tehran. Najjar said the Sajjil-2 differs from the Sajjil missile because it “is equipped with a new navigation system as well as precise and sophisticated sensors,” according to Iran’s official news agency.
Sajjil means “baked clay.” It is a reference to a story in the Holy Qura’an, in which birds sent by Almighty Allah drive off an enemy army attacking the holy city of Makkah by pelting them with stones of baked clay.
Ahmadinejad is running for re-election and has been criticised by his opponents and others for antagonising the US and mismanaging the country’s faltering economy. Iran said on Wednesday that its constitutional watchdog has approved three prominent candidates to challenge Ahmadinejad, setting up a showdown between reformists and hard-liners.
Iran’s nuclear and missile programmes have alarmed Israel. The country’s new Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, pressed Obama to step up pressure on Tehran when the two met in Washington on Monday. Israeli officials had no immediate comment on the Iranian missile launch.
Moshe Arens, a former Israeli defence minister who trained in the US as an aerospace engineer, said on Wednesday’s test was apparently part of Iran’s broader quest to develop more advanced missiles and nuclear capability.
“They’re increasing their abilities to launch rockets of longer and longer range that go beyond Israel and into Europe and eventually will carry nuclear weapons,” he said.
“They’re troublemakers and you have to deal with troublemakers.” Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for Israel’s elimination, and the Jewish state has not ruled out a military strike to deal with the Iranian nuclear threat. The Israeli government has been skeptical of US overtures to Iran, which have received a mixed response from Ahmadinejad.
Many Western experts have expressed skepticism about Iran’s professed military achievements, saying the country provides no transparency to verify its claims. Most believe Iran does not yet have the technology to produce nuclear weapons, including warheads for long-range missiles. The US released an intelligence report about 18 months ago that said Iran abandoned a secret nuclear weapons programme in 2003 under international pressure and has not restarted it.
Israel and several other countries have disputed the finding. But many in the West at least agree that Iran is seeking to develop the capability to develop weapons at some point.
A group of US and Russian scientists said in a report issued on Tuesday that Iran could produce a simple nuclear device in one to three years and a nuclear warhead in another five years after that.
The study published by the nonpartisan East West Institute also said Iran is making advances in rocket technology and could develop a ballistic missile capable of firing a 2,200-pound nuclear warhead up to 1,200 miles “in perhaps six to eight years.”
Source: thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=178635
Baghdad, Kirkuk suicide blasts kill 19
BAGHDAD: Suicide bombers killed at least 19 people in Iraq on Thursday in separate attacks in Baghdad and the northern city of Kirkuk, security officials said.In the latest attack, a suicide bomber struck at a crowded market in the south Baghdad district of Doura, killing 12 people and wounding 25 others, police said, adding that three US soldiers were also killed.
The US military could not immediately confirm this.
Earlier on Thursday, a bomber triggered a vest packed with explosives as Sunni anti-insurgent militiamen queued to be paid in Kirkuk, killing seven people, the army and police said.
The blasts come hours after a car bomb killed 40 civilians and wounded 82 others in Baghdad's Shula district late on Wednesday, police said, revising higher earlier figures of 35 killed and 72 wounded.
Source : dawn.com/wps/wcm
Shaving for survival?
Latest reports claim that the Taliban are shaving off their beards to escape the operation in Swat. The Taliban have maintained that the beards are a sign of being a devoted and true Muslim. Perhaps that is why the Afghani Taliban had gone to the extent of measuring the beards of normal citizens out on the streets of Kabul. Perhaps that is why beard trimmers have been jailed by the ‘religious police’. Perhaps that is also why the Taliban have vandalised barber shops in Buner and threatened barbers to stop cutting hair and trimming beards. So why bring in the razors now?
Already listed as the modern-day barbarians, these men have now taken to shaving off their supposed ‘identity’ in order to escape without being noticed by the Pakistan military. Clever tactic but is it worth shedding off their religious beliefs for? Or do their beliefs allow them to go clean shaven if it’s about the question of their survival? If that is the case then they are no different than the society they target – double standards persist either way.
How come the rules have not been relaxed then if a woman is dying and has a doctor at hand but one who can’t do much to save her because he is a man? Women have died of curable ailments just because male doctors were not allowed to touch them. Does that not come into the debate of survival? Or are women exempted from this exemption list?
The government and NGOs are having a hard time keeping track of the displaced people because now they don’t know who could be a militant and who is a refugee. Are beards the only thing that can determine a refugee from a militant? If so, then the military has an even bigger task ahead of themselves.
Source: dawntravelshow.com/dblog
No need to Google 'Engelberth' -- she'll be on the home page
By Emily AndersonCNN
NEW YORK (CNN) -- One of the perks of using search engine Google's home page is checking out the frequently changing seasonal, current-event, and holiday-inspired "doodles" used for the logo.
Soon the work of 12-year-old Christin Engelberth will occupy the Google spotlight to be viewed by millions of online searchers worldwide.
On Wednesday, Google announced that Christin, a sixth-grader at Bernard Harris Middle School in San Antonio, Texas, is this year's winner of "Doodle 4 Google," a yearly competition that asks K-12 students to dream up their own variation of the logo. Her work will be featured on Google's main site for 24 hours on Thursday.
The theme of this year's contest was "What I Wish for the World."
"Both our country and the world are undergoing significant change," Google said on the contest's Web pages. At Google we believe in thinking big, and dreaming big, and we can't think of anything more important than encouraging students to do the same."
"A New Beginning," the title of Christin's doodle, depicts the Google logo as a land and sea naturescape intertwined with trees, a frog and leaping dolphin, a curious lizard, a turtle and fish, and a butterfly set against an orange and yellow background with a rising sun represented by the second "O" in "Google."
In an interview with CNN, Christin said she portrayed a dawn as a symbol of a new day. Her wish was that "out of the current crisis, discoveries will be found to help the Earth prosper once more." She added that wanted to portray a brighter tomorrow and "discoveries being made lead to a better Earth for everyone."
Christin said her initial idea for a doodle was for animal conservation, but then she decided "it shouldn't just include animals; it should include the rest of the world."
Christin did check out her competition, and said she thought the other doodles were "much better than mine."
But a panel of independent judges and Google employees, along with close to 6 million online voters, disagreed, and chose her sketch as the overall winner from a field of over 28,000 other submissions.
Google's Marissa Mayer, vice president of search products and user experience, and Dennis Hwang, webmaster manager, said on the Google Blog that Christin's design was part of "a very creative pool of doodles."
As the national winner, Christin will receive a $15,000 college scholarship, a laptop, and a $25,000 technology grant for her school, in addition to having her artwork featured on the Google site.
She was presented with her award at the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City, where Google also unveiled an exhibit of the top doodles. They will be on display until July 5.
National finalists also were selected in three grade groups. Each will receive a laptop computer.
All winners were treated to a day in New York that Google said "included activities which promote peace, sustainability and wellness -- all inspired by this year's theme." The winners also will participate in a doodling class led by Dennis Hwang and the Google doodle team.
Grand prize winner Christin -- who told CNN she was excited to visit New York City -- said she's been "drawing for as long as she can remember."
When she grows up, she said, she hopes to do "anything to do with art."
Source: edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/05/20/google.doodle
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