US law changed to allow 'unlocking' cellphones

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama signed a bill into law on Friday making it legal once again to unlock a cellphone without permission from a wireless provider, so long as the service contract has expired. Copyright law prohibits circumventing digital locks on technological devices. But for several years, cellphones were granted an exemption by government copyright lawyers as a way of making it easier for consumers to change carriers and recycle old phones. Then under industry pressure, the Library of Congress — which oversees copyright law — agreed to let the exemption lapse as of January 2013, infuriating consumer advocates who say phone owners should be able to do whatever they want with a device once a contract expires. Wireless providers have said digital locks on cellphones protect their business model: phones are often sold at a steep discount in exchange for long-term service contracts. If a consumer doesn't want to be tied to a particular carrier, they can always pay the higher price of a device that's already unlocked, industry officials say. The Library of Congress agreed with that logic in its latest ruling. But public backlash was fierce and several wireless providers responded by outlining a set of voluntary industry standards for unlocking. Consumer advocates said the process remained slow and cumbersome. They wanted tech-savvy consumers to be able to unlock phones by themselves or use a third-party, which the new legislation allows. The bill doesn't apply to other wireless devices such as tablets, but directs the Library of Congress to consider whether consumers should be allowed to unlock those as well. The legislation is only effective until the Library of Congress issues its next ruling, most likely in late 2015. But consumer advocates hope that the popular legislation will be enough to convince the federal office that it should continue to allow unlocking. CTIA-The Wireless Association, which represents major wireless providers including AT&T, Sprint Corporation, T-Mobile USA, US Cellular and Verizon Wireless, said in a statement: “Even though the vast majority of Americans enjoy upgrading to new devices once their contract terms are fulfilled, we recognise that some consumers may want to unlock their devices to move to another carrier.” It noted, however, that even though the phone is unlocked it might not work on other carriers because platforms and spectrum holdings vary.

CNG dealers, govt fail to agree on schedule

RAWALPINDI: The federal government and All Pakistan CNG Owners Association have failed to reach consensus on the new schedule for gas filling stations. The government supplied gas to filling stations from July 28 to August 2. According to sources, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources has agreed to supply gas to filling stations 12 hours a day and three days a week but the CNG association wants gas four days a week and 16 hours a day. When contacted, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) official told Dawn that as the power sector was on top of the priority list, it was not possible to provide gas to CNG filling stations more than 36 hours a week. He said the new schedule would bem announced after taking all stakeholders on board. All Pakistan CNG Owners Association Chairman Ghayas Paracha told Dawn that the new schedule would be announced by the SNGPL next week. He said the association had submitted its proposals to the federal government and is expecting a positive response. He said the government had promised to improve gas supply to the stations after monsoon rains. Published in Dawn, Aug 2nd , 2014

US to help India get permanent membership of UNSC

WASHINGTON: In a major display of solidarity with India, the United States has equated Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) with Al Qaeda, pledging to work with India to disrupt both. In a joint statement issued simultaneously in Washing­ton and New Delhi, the two nations also urged Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to justice. In the same statement, Washington assured New Delhi that “the United States looks forward to a reformed UN Security Council that includes India as a permanent member”. The two allies noted that they faced a common threat from terrorism, including in South Asia, and committed to “intensify efforts to combat terrorism”. They also pledged to work together to end proliferation of WMDs, nuclear terrorism and cross-border crime, and to address the misuse of the Internet for terrorist purposes. The statement followed the fifth US-India Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi on Thursday. US Secretary of State John F. Kerry and India’s Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj co-chaired the meeting. “The leaders called for Pakistan to work towards bringing the perpetrators of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks to justice,” said the statement issued after the talks. They also “reiterated their condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and reaffirmed their commitment to eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, and disrupting terrorist networks including Al Qaeda and the Lashkar-e-Taiba.” Published in Dawn, Aug 2nd , 2014

Transparency questions Privatisation Commission’s bidding process

ISLAMABAD: The Transparency International Pakistan (TIP) has raised objections to the bidding process of the Privatisation Commission, alleging that ‘Haidermota-BNR’ has been given undue favour for the provision of financial advisory services in several projects with different joint ventures. In the case of PIA, Haidermota BNR participated in the bidding process for procurement of financial advisory services with two joint ventures. It also submitted bids with two joint ventures in Fesco and bids with three joint ventures in the National Power Construction Company (NPCC). Haidermota-BNR has consistently been violating PPRA rules and submitting more than one bid with different joint ventures, it alleged. In a letter to Privatisation Commission Chairman Muhammad Zubair, TIP Chairman Sohail Muzaffar said the company should have been debarred by the PC because under the regulations of the Public Procurement Rules 2004 the standard bidding documents did not allow one bidder to participate in more than one joint venture. Both joint ventures as per PPRA rules stand disqualified and should not have been allowed to participate in this as well as in future projects of the PC, according to TIP chairman. Violating the PPRA rules in “appointment of Financial Advisory Services” by the commission might already have made the entire process of privatisation as non-transparent, as one favoured bidder had been awarded four projects in contravention to the rules, he said. “This is to point out that in all joint ventures, all partners have to give commitments that all partners — jointly and severally — will be responsible for performance. A common firm in two joint ventures is also a conflict of interest, and amounts to cartelisation,” Mr Muzaffar said. TIP urged the PC to scrap all the projects involved and restart the process of appointment of consultants in a transparent manner, and in compliance with the PPRA rules, the evaluation criteria should be given in RFP so that firms of integrity should participate, award the contract as per rules and perform on merit and at the most economical cost. Published in Dawn, Aug 2nd , 2014

UN slams Sri Lanka over deportation of Pakistani, Afghan asylum seekers

COLOMBO: The UN refugee agency accused Sri Lanka on Saturday of failing to respect international law by deporting Afghan and Pakistan refugees before their asylum claims could be assessed. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Sri Lankan authorities arrested 214 Afghan and Pakistani nationals in an operation beginning on June 9, who are currently being held at two detention centres. Eighteen Pakistani asylum seekers have been deported in the past two days, with 10 more facing imminent expulsion, it said in a statement, in violation of its international obligations. “UNHCR is dismayed by these actions of the government of Sri Lanka,” the statement said. “The deportation goes against the principle of no forced return, or non-refoulement, enshrined in international customary law.” The agency added that returning an individual to a country where he or she would face a risk of torture was also prohibited under the UN's Convention Against Torture. Hundreds of Pakistanis and Afghans fleeing persecution in their countries have been arriving in Sri Lanka seeking UNHRC protection in the capital Colombo. Sri Lanka defended the action taken against the asylum-seekers, saying that a state's responsibility to international obligations had to be “nuanced and balanced in the context of domestic compulsions.” Sri Lanka's External Affairs Ministry also accused the UNHCR of processing asylum claims too slowly, and of not taking responsibility for repatriating those whose refugee claims were rejected. “It may be noted that in some cases, resettlement applications have been pending for over five years,” the ministry said. The ministry added there had been a dramatic increase in the number of Pakistani and Afghan asylum seekers arriving on the South Asian island in the past year. As of the end of June, there were 1,562 asylum-seekers and 308 listed as refugees. “Investigations have revealed that the sudden increase in the number of asylum seekers in Sri Lanka was as a result of people falling victim to commercially driven human trafficking networks,” it said. The influx of asylum seekers had led to “serious law and order, security, as well as health-related issues for the authorities.” In April, the authorities found 10 cases of malaria among the asylum seekers at a time when Sri Lanka was under consideration for World Health Organization certification as a nation free of the disease, the ministry said. Sri Lanka recently tightened visa restrictions on Afghan and Pakistani nationals in a bid to discourage asylum seekers arriving on the island.

Israel pulls out from part of Gaza, but snubs Cairo talks

GAZA CITY: The Israeli army on Saturday gave a first indication it was ending operations in parts of Gaza, while continuing to bombard other areas ahead of fresh truce talks in Cairo. As a Palestinian delegation flew to Egypt in search of a ceasefire, the Israeli army conveyed a message to residents of part of northern Gaza that it was “safe” to return home. “They have been informed it is safe for civilians to return to Beit Lahiya and Al-Atatra,” a spokeswoman told AFP, in what was understood to be a confirmation that troops had stopped operating there. Witnesses in the north confirmed seeing troops leaving the area as others seen leaving another flashpoint area in southern Gaza. It was the first time troops had been seen pulling back since the start of Israel's devastating 26-day operation, which has so far claimed more than 1,660 Palestinian lives and forced up to a quarter of the territory's population into exile. The move came after an army spokesman told AFP Israel was “quite close to completing” the destruction of tunnels used for infiltrating southern Israel, the main objective of the ground operation. Despite the partial withdrawal, Israel's security cabinet decided against sending a delegation to ceasefire talks with the Palestinian delegation in Cairo. A senior political official quoted by army radio said Hamas was “not interested in an arrangement”, with some commentators suggesting the pullback could signal the start of a unilateral Israeli withdrawal. Truce deal unlikely But the chances of the sides halting fire seemed remote after Israel said it believed militants had captured a 23-year-old soldier in a Friday morning ambush near the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Immediately afterwards, Israel bombarded the Rafah area in shelling that is still ongoing, with medics saying it killed 114 people in 24 hours. Since midnight (2100 GMT), more than 74 people have been killed, the vast majority in Rafah, raising the overall toll to 1,670, emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said. The vast majority of the dead are civilians, medics said, with the number of wounded at more than 9,000. The alleged capture of Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin drew sharp condemnation from the United Nations and the White House, who had jointly brokered the abortive 72-hour truce, and who demanded his immediate release. Israel has said it believes Goldin was snatched in an ambush that involved a suicide bomber, who killed two other soldiers, and has placed the blame squarely on Hamas. Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, acknowledged its militants had staged an ambush early Friday in which soldiers were killed, but denied holding the missing man, saying the attackers were missing and presumed dead. “We have lost contact with the mujahedeen unit that was in that ambush, and we think that all the fighters in this unit were killed by Zionist shelling along with the soldier, who the enemy says is missing, assuming our combatants captured this soldier during the fighting,” it said, “Until now, we in Qassam have no knowledge of the missing soldier, or his whereabouts or the circumstances of his disappearance. “ Hunt goes on Israel said it was focusing its search for Goldin on the outskirts of sprawling Rafah, where some 210,00 Palestinians live. Israel considers the capture of its soldiers a casus belli. In 2006, Gaza militants captured conscript Gilad Shalit and held him for five years before freeing him in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Weeks after Shalit's capture, Israel launched a 34-day war on the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon after it seized two soldiers, whose remains were later returned in another swap deal. US President Barack Obama “unequivocally condemned” Friday's killing of two soldiers and the lieutenant's alleged capture, saying that if those responsible wanted an end to the bloodshed, Goldin would need to be “unconditionally released, as soon as possible”. Meanwhile, air strikes and tank fire pounding huge areas of Gaza into rubble, killing four members of the same family in the central area of Deir al-Balah and another eight, from two separate families, in Rafah, medics said. Israeli's army also said it intercepted two rockets from Gaza on Saturday. UN figures show that up to 25 per cent of Gaza's population of 1.8 million may have been forcibly displaced, with more than a quarter of a million now seeking safety in shelters belonging to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Saturday a Cairo truce plan can offer a solution to the spiralling violence. The Palestinian delegation going to Cairo includes intelligence chief Majid Faraj, senior Hamas official Mussa Abu Marzuq, and Ziad al-Nakhale, a leader of Islamic Jihad. Ahead of the meeting, Sisi said Egypt's Gaza truce proposal offered a “real chance to find a solution to the crisis” but that it must be implemented quickly to stop the bloodshed.

Imran asks senior PTI leaders to be prepared for arrests: sources

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has asked his party to be prepared in case the government arrests senior PTI leaders ahead of the Aug 14 ‘Azadi’ march in Islamabad, party sources told Dawn.com on Saturday. Earlier today, Khan held a meeting with senior leaders of the party’s Punjab chapter, including PTI Punjab President Ejaz Chaudhry, senior leader Javed Hashmi and Naeemul Haq. Khan said that there is “absolutely no room for negotiations with the government. We’re demanding fresh elections,” Naeemul Haq quoted the PTI chief as saying. Another source privy to the meeting quoted Khan as asking the party’s second tier leadership to be prepared in case arrest orders are issued for the senior leadership. The source said that the party is expecting close to a million people to take part in the march on the federal capital, with over 200 motorcycles to depart from the Lahore motorcade. The party had called for a 'million march' on Aug 14 to register its protest against alleged widespread rigging in the 2013 general elections. PTI mulls National Assembly resignations The PTI leadership is also deliberating over whether it should ask its lawmakers to resign from the National Assembly ahead of the march, Dawn.com learnt earlier today. Party leaders told Dawn that such a move was being “weighed as an option”, however no formal decision has yet been taken. “A discussion has taken place regarding the tendering of resignations. But this was only weighed as an option. No decision has been made,” senior PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi told Dawn.com. “There is a party meeting before the parliamentary session on Aug 4, and this matter will be discussed but there is no decision on this (yet).” Qureshi’s comments came after PTI lawmaker Engineer Hamidul Haq said that PTI chairman Imran Khan had already asked party MNAs to prepare their resignations. Speaking to TV channels, Haq had said that the PTI parliamentary party would meet two hours before the NA session scheduled for Monday, after which PTI lawmakers would submit their resignations. PTI leader Asad Umar also confirmed Qureshi’s version, saying that no such instructions have yet been issued by the leadership, although the move was discussed as a ‘possible option’ within the party. Speaking to Dawn.com Asad Umar said that the purpose of the long march was to strengthen democracy in the country. He further stated that mid-term elections would the PTI's goal. He said that mid-term polls are held in other countries as well. Such a move may be possible if the situation arises though it would be officially announced by the party, Umar told Dawn.com.

6 reasons to add Broccoli to your daily diet

Broccoli is eaten as a salad in most parts of the world. It can be eaten cooked or raw too. It belongs to the Italica Cultivar group of Brassicaceae family. We bring to you some amazing health benefits of Broccoli. Prevents Cancer: Broccoli may prove to be a natural wonder-drug for many types of cancer, including breast cancer, cancer of uterus, prostrate cancer, cancers of internal organs like lungs, colon, liver, kidneys etc. and cancer of intestines. Detoxification: The presence of vitamin-C, sulphur and certain amino acids make broccoli a very good detoxifier. It helps remove free radicals and toxins like uric acid from the body. Stomach infections: Broccoli is very rich in fiber or roughage, the best thing which can cure almost all the stomach disorders by curing constipation, since constipation is the root to almost all the stomach disorders. Heart diseases: Apart from the anti-oxidants mentioned above, broccoli has very high fiber content, beta-carotene, omega-3 fatty acids and other vitamins which help reduce bad cholesterol as well as keep the heart functioning properly by regulating the blood-pressure. Pregnancy: Since broccoli is so nutritious and full of nutrients essential for pregnant ladies, such as proteins, calcium, vitamins, anti-oxidants, detoxifiers, iron, phosphorus and others, it is an ideal component of diet for them. Anemia: Anemia is directly related to lack of iron and certain proteins. Broccoli is rich in both of these and hence forms an excellent remedy for anemia.

Facebook down: Some users call police for help, become butt of jokes on Twitter

New Delhi: Social networking site Facebook on Friday suffered disruption in services, making the site unavailable to millions of users in some areas world over. The visitors were greeted with the message that read "Sorry, something went wrong. We're working on getting this fixed as soon as we can." It was not immediately clear how widespread the disruption was. Facebook has 1.32 billion monthly users. This is the second time that the website went down in this quarter. The reason behind this crash is still not clear. Earlier this year Facebook crashed for the first time on June 19. People started reporting the outage on Friday, but Facebook was back after 35 minutes. The whole incident became of butt of joke on Twitter as some users started calling police for help in some areas. An officer from Los Angeles County took to Twitter on Friday when Facebook users called for help to report that the social media website was down. Sgt. Burton Brink, the public information officer in La Crescenta, CA, posted a Tweet reminding people about the reasons for calling them for help. "#Facebook is not a Law Enforcement issue, please don't call us about it being down, we don't know when FB will be back up!" he wrote.

Man sentenced to 15 years in prison for ‘royal defamation’ through Facebook posts

New Delhi: A Thai musician has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for royal defamation, a court official said Friday, in the latest conviction under a controversial lese majeste law. The 28-year-old was found guilty of posting insulting messages about the monarchy on Facebook between 2010 and 2011, said a court official from the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani, without giving further details. King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 86, is revered by many Thais and protected by tough royal defamation laws. Under the strict lese majeste rules anyone convicted of insulting the king, queen, heir or regent faces up to 15 years in prison on each count. The court sentenced the musician to three years each for nine counts of lese majeste and four months each for 12 counts of violating the computer crime act. But after admitting to all charges his sentence was reduced to 15 years in jail. "The suspect had repeatedly committed wrongdoings and in this case the judge has sentenced him with minimum penalties for both charges," said the court official. Since seizing power in Thailand in May, the army has clamped down on any opposition to its takeover, with a crackdown on perceived slurs against the royals at the heart of its stepped-up online surveillance operations. Under the rules, anybody can make a complaint about a perceived royal insult and police are duty-bound to investigate. Before the coup, calls for reform of the lese majeste laws had grown following several high-profile convictions. But academics urging greater debate are among hundreds of people who were summoned by the junta and temporarily detained in secret locations.

Here is why you shouldn’t follow the information of Wikipedia blindly!

New Delhi: The reliability on the various information sources on internet is escalating with each passing day even though these sources are not hundred per cent reliable. In a recent research it has been found that some pranksters tend to take their pranks to much higher level and change the information on the popular webpage Wikipedia. Wikipedia is widely known for providing information almost about everything and the revelation of the research is an evidence to prove that it must not be trusted blindly. With the pattern of letting its users edit the articles information, its image is badly being ruined by those who relish playing pranks without giving much thought to the consequences. The report published in the wikipediocracy claims that it has happened several times in history that the information is tampered with and then the false one become popular with people. An example in the article cited that a group of students wanted to tease one of their classmates named Azid. In order to play a prank on him, they edited the Chicken Korma Wikipedia page and added that Azid is synonym of the dish. The false information didn’t only continue to run on Wikipedia for some time, but several cooking websites and publications also adopted the name without digging out the proper information. Today’s generation is so blind folded with the idea of internet that they hardly re-check any piece of information that has been delivered to them through internet. Even though the Wikipedia has taken down the term and there are no traces of it on the page, it can easily be found on other cooking related pages where Korma is also being referred as Azid. The primary research about the articles put up on Wikipedia can be termed as genuine but it can’t be denied that the quality of articles is polluted from time to time by the people who do not prefer to cross-check the information and directly edit it. The Azid example is not the only one. It has happened number of times and each time it took long for people to recognize the fact that they are poured wrong information. Composer Maurice Jarre died in 2009 and Shane Fitzgerald, a sociology student, edited her Wikipedia page adding a quote by her name. Soon the quote was directly taken by several newspapers and they ran it just the way it was written. It was after a month when Fitzgerald made an appearance and told people about the edit of the page and he said, “I was really shocked at the results from the experiment. I am 100 percent convinced that if I hadn’t come forward, that quote would have gone down in history as something Maurice Jarre said, instead of something I made up.” he said. "It would have become another example where, once anything is printed enough times in the media without challenge, it becomes fact," he added.

Delhi metro security now in the hands of elite women commandos

New Delhi: A lethal women commando squad trained in Filipino martial art and capable of neutralising a threat using innocuous objects like pen or hairpin would now patrol coaches and stations of Delhi Metro to ensure safety of passengers, especially women. A team of 25 young commandos has been trained by the central security force CISF in 'Pekiti-Tirsia Kali' (PTK), which originated decades ago in Philippines and is a close-quarter unarmed combat skill used to take on multiple opponents at one time by using obscure objects usually worn on the body. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) MD Mangu Singh on Friday commissioned the first batch of the highly motivated CISF troops after they finished their 50-day rigorous training which till now has only been imparted to the special units of the Army or NSG commandos. This is the first time such training has been imparted to women security personnel in the country. "DMRC and CISF are totally committed for passenger security in the Delhi Metro especially that of women. These women commandos will surely add to the confidence of the passengers and women travelling in the Metro," Singh told reporters at the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) training facility in New Delhi. The instructors of these specially chosen women who are under 30 years of age said they have been trained to tactically use common objects pen, hairpin, cap, belt, shoe laces, keys and sandals as deadly weapons to take on rogue elements. "These women have been given training in this special martial art as this ensures less harm to the suspect and he or she is neutralised quickly. In sensitive cases, we need the suspect alive so that he can be interrogated for further leads. These women personnel would patrol Metro stations and coaches," CISF Inspector General (North) H V Chaturvedi said during the event. Chaturvedi said the force, which is tasked to secure all the Delhi Metro stations, will deploy these women in civil dress as well as in uniform and also as part of its quick reaction teams during crisis situation scenarios in the mass rapid transport system which witnesses an average footfall of 26 lakh passengers every day. "This is the first batch of our special women commandos. We will be training more of them and deploying them in the Delhi Metro," the IG said. During their demonstration, the women exhibited how they could use shoe laces to make an attacker surrender and other skills. DMRC MD Singh said such transport systems face a variety of problems and challenges like crowd control, and frisking issues but the agency was "fully committed" to women empowerment and safety and hence such a step was a welcome one. Singh also announced a cash prize of Rs. 50,000 for the batch. CISF officers said women were chosen over their male counterparts for this tough training as this will also help them to secure themselves when they travel back to their barracks alone after finishing late duty hours in the DMRC. The PTK technique is used to train commando units and Special Forces in 60 countries.

Deadly Ebola virus spreads; leaves half of those infected dead!

New Delhi: According to the World Health Organization, more than 1,300 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have contracted Ebola since March. This has unanimously made it the biggest outbreak on record. It is being said that more than half of those infected have died. DailyBhaskar brings to you the know-how of this deadly disease. Is the outbreak worldwide? No, as of now it’s widely spread in parts of Africa. Conakry, Freetown, Kolo Bengou, Monrovia are reported to be areas where the disease has broken. Is this the worst? Yes, it is the deadliest. It has eclipsed an outbreak in 1976, which was the year the virus was discovered. Where does Ebola come from? When it was discovered in 1976, it was thought to come from the gorillas. It is said that humans contracted the disease after they ate gorilla meat. However, after careful consideration scientists now believe that bats are the reason why this virus spreads. The disease spreads after a human or any other animal consumes food which has been defecated on by the bats. Is the virus contagious? In a lot of ways it is. But a person is unlikely to catch it by just sitting next to someone whoi has the virus. It only spreads through direct contact with body fluids of the infected person. Fluids like blood, sweat, vomit. Many health workers are at risk. It is also imperative to note that the virus survives on surfaces. Why is Ebola so difficult to control? Many in Africa believe that saying ‘Ebola’ makes it disappear. Such beliefs have made it impossible for doctors to combat the disease. Is there a cure? There is no vaccine or cure for Ebola, and majorly the virus has been fatal in almost all cases. However, a small percentage of people have been found to have immunity to the Ebola virus. (Image: Health workers carry the body of a woman who died of Ebola/Reuters)

Here's why Bill Clinton did not kill Osama bin Laden before 9/11!

New Delhi: In a shocking revelation that is bound to send strategic affairs experts around the world into fresh round of ‘what if’ debates, former US President Bill Clinton, just hours before the fateful planes crashed into WTC twin towers in New York on September 11, 2001, had told a group of Australian businessmen and that he could have killed Osama Bin Laden during his presidency that had ended less than nine months before he demitted office, but he decided against it owing to the possibility of massive collateral damage that the operation would have caused. According to an audio aired by SkyNews Australia on Wednesday, Clinton is heard saying he "nearly got" the Al Qaeda leader but didn't go through with a missile attack as it would have destroyed “ a little town called Kandahar in Afghanistan and kill 300 innocent women and children.” The said meeting reportedly transpired when it was still September 10 in Australia. Just about 10 hours later, two hijacked planes crashed into WTC to change the course of world forever. "He (Osama bin Laden) is a very smart guy, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about him – and I nearly got him once," Clinton told the group. "I nearly got him. And I could have killed him, but I would have to destroy a little town called Kandahar in Afghanistan and kill 300 innocent women and children, and then I would have been no better than him. And so I didn’t do it.” The tape was provided to SkyNews by Michael Kroger, a former head of the Liberal Party of Australia, and was aired on the network’s show ‘Paul Murray Live.’ According to Kroger, who also appeared on the show, the said meeting took place at Crown Casino Complex in Melbourne. "The event was taped with his knowledge," Kroger said on the show. "The tape has never been played. … Bill Clinton was answering a question from a member of the audience about terrorism, international terrorism and he made some extraordinary remarks which had hitherto remained in my vault," Kroger told Paul Murray. A number of books and the 9/11 Commission Report have acknowledged that the Clinton administration considered a December 1998 strike on bin Laden but scrapped the plan over possible collateral damage. Bin Laden is said to have masterminded the September 11 attacks that killed 2,977 people. He was killed on May 2, 2011 by US Navy Seals during an early morning raid in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

Hacktivist group takes down Mossad website to condemn Israel attack on Gaza

While many have opted to stay silent on the issue of Israel’s military action on Gaza, Anonymous decided to take some action and stand with the people of Palestine. The loose group of hackers, Anonymous has reportedly used its cyber arm power to take down the website of Israel Intelligence Agency Mossad to protest military action in Gaza. The Anonymous group has already targeted a number of other Israeli organizations as part of a campaign titled “Operation Save Gaza” in the mission to stop this “massacre” says a report in TheHackerNews. This was a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack on Mossad’s official website, says a member of the HackCommunity. According to this news report “The hacktivist group launched a hacking campaign Operation Save Gaza against Israeli government coinciding with the Israel’s Operation Protective Edge on July 7. Since then, Anonymous group have taken down “thousands” of Israeli-based websites including Israel’s Defence Ministry and the Tel Aviv Police websites.” The group also posted a video message on YouTube urging to “stop the war“. One can listen to the message here. A message dated 20 July of the group posted on Pastebin says “we are calling upon the anonymous collective, and the elite hacker groups to join our crusade, and to wage cyber war against the state of Israel once more.”

According to RT the ‘hacktivists’ have already targeted a number of organizations in their mission to stop the 'genocide.' The website of Mossad went down on 31st July 2014 after a DDoS attack. It appears that the website is still down. 7 hours ago Anonymous Palestine posted “Tango still down .mossad.gov.il on its Twitter timeline.” (Look at the picture on the left side) About an hour later it posted a screenshot of the internet service provider at Israel which still shows down status. The tweet said “Internet provider in Israhell #Down”. According to a news report in NewsWeek, the Ma’an News Agency reported an Anonymous member was killed by Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) fire. This 22 year old member, Tayeb Abu Shehada was shot dead while protesting in Huwara near Nablus, shortly before Israeli government websites began to go down. After the incident, pics were on Twitter showing Tayeb Abu Shehada wearing iconic Guy Fawkes mask that is closely associated with Anonymous hacktivist group. The group has been active since last few years under the @OperatingEgypt name. In 2011 and 2013 it attacked sites in Israel. The twitter handle of this operation says the group is “standing in solidarity with the people of #Egypt struggling peacefully for their basic rights.” One could see heart breaking pictures posted and retweeted by the twitter handle related to killing of innocent lives in Gaza, and bodies of survivors from this land trying to escape to Egypt. The government of Israel is yet to comment on the Mossad hack attack, reports The Hacker News.

Taslima Nasreen granted residential visa following her meeting with Rajnath Singh

New Delhi: Bengali author Taslima Nasreen was granted the residential visa to stay in India by Home Ministry on Saturday. She had met Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the day time in connection to refusal of one year visa to her by Indian government. She posted about the meeting on her Twitter account. Nasreen tweeted "“I met Honourable Home Minister Rajnath Singhji this afternoon. Gave him my book ‘Wo Andhere Din’. He said,’Aapka Andhere Din Khatam Ho Jayega’ (Your dark days will end)." The 51-year-old contoversial writer Taslima Nasreen was denied one year visa by the government but was allowed to stay in the country for another couple of months starting from August 1. She had applied for one year resident permit in India but Home Ministry granted her a two months stay in the country. According to sources, the meeting continued for nearly 20 minutes in which she requested Singh that she be allowed for a longer stay in India. A Home Ministry official had said that appropriate decision on her visa status will be taken once the verification is completed. She had been continuously getting Indian visa since 2004 in spite being a Sweden national. She had to leave Kolkata in 2007 after she started receiving threats by Muslims against her works.

Landslide on Koshi's course; 10m-high wall of water expected to hit Bihar; evacuation in progress

Patna, Kathmandu: Massive evacuation work is in progress in northern Bihar following a massive landslide that claimed the life of 8 people and left 150 missing. The landslide hurled rocks and mud across the course of Sun Koshi River leading to the formation of large lake in Nepal's Sindhupalchowk district. It is being feared that once the blockade is removed it will hurl a 10m-high wall of water towards the lower lying areas of Nepal and Bihar. State and national disaster response forces from Purinia, Darbhanga and Patna have been rushed to the spot to facilitate evacuation. Around 25,000 people living in 26 panchayats within the Koshi embankment have been at the focus of the evacuation exercise. In 2008, a breach in the Koshi River had brought widespread destruction to the area leading to one of the worst floods seen in state's history. More than a hundred people were killed and more than 3 million were left displaced. The floods also destroyed more than 8,00,000 acres of cropland.

Army to be visible in Islamabad soon

ISLAMABAD: Army troops would soon be guarding sensitive buildings in Islamabad, and patrolling the streets later, as the federal government’s decision to deploy them in aid of the civil administration came into effect on August 1. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had sent shockwaves across the country last week by revealing that the government had issued a notification on July 24 to requisition services of the armed forces under Article 245 of the Constitution. A day after a military spokesman disclosed on July 26 that the decision to call army was taken in a meeting, on the launch of the military operation against militants in North Waziristan, held on June 15, the minister accused those criticising the decision were making army controversial in a war-like situation. He said 352 troops were being requisitioned to assist police and other civic agencies secure Islamabad. They would be deployed from August 1 at the call of district magistrate and operate under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997, he said. And provincial governments could similarly take help of the armed forces to ensure security. A senior police official told Dawn, on condition of anonymity, that army troops had arrived in Islamabad just after the launch of the Zarb-i-Azb operation in mid June but had to wait for a legal cover for their deployment. “So the government invoked Article 245 of the Constitution. Now army can be used for patrolling in city, security of important places and buildings,” he said. “It has been decided to deploy five companies (of army) at the Presidency, the Prime Minister’s House, the Parliament House, buildings of the judiciary, the Foreign Office, Diplomatic Enclave and some other important buildings,” he said. “One company will be deployed at Margalla Hills because sensitive places can be targeted from the hills. Moreover soldiers will also be deployed at the entry point of federal capital,” he said. “They might be deployed at entry points of capital from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but initially only the latter is being considered for such deployment,” said the police officer. “Army soldiers will be all over the city and will be able to reach a hotspot in case of an emergency within 10 minutes. The army will coordinate with police and Rangers directly and through the district administration,” he said. Senior Superintendent of Police Mohammad Ali Nekokara told Dawn that deployment of the soldiers under Article 245 will be finalised after consultation with the district administration. “I believe that collaboration between the Army, police and district administration became necessary for national security in the wake of Operation Zarb-i-Azb. Police have been collaborating with all agencies. That is why not a single untoward incident has been reported in the federal capital since the launch of Operation Zarb-i-Azb,” he said.As of now SSP Nekokara did not feel the need to put troops on patrol duties in the city, however. “They can be called to that duty if and when required,” he said. Published in Dawn, Aug 2nd , 2014

Devi ka mandir – a faded reminder of Pindi’s past

The temple has a large central dome with smaller domes on all four sides. The structure of the temple is in a bad state; the roof leaks when it rains and if not cared for properly, it may cave in at any time. *************************************** The Kohati Bazaar is home to one of Rawalpindi’s most beautiful heritage buildings – the Kalyan Das temple. The temple was built by the famous Suri family, who lived in Rawalpindi before partition. Today, the Suris are mistakenly remembered as the Nuri family, because the inscription outside their family home, the Suri Mansion in Kartarpura, was changed after partition.

The entrance to the Suri Mansion, which is located just off the Banni food street in Kartarpura. The inscription on the building’s façade was changed to ‘Nuri’ after partition. The beautiful structure, known commonly as devi ka mandir, has been converted into the Govt Qandeel Secondary School for the Blind. Construction on the temple began in the 1850s and was completed in 1880. In the 1950s, the Evacuee Property Trust Board took over the building and in 1973 the school was established.

The temple is not properly maintained and, as a result, this historic building has fallen victim to the vagaries of nature and the apathy of locals, with garbage littered around the premises. In 2005, the grandson of Kalyan Das and Rajya Sabha MP, the late Lalit Suri visited the temple and his family mansion and promised to contribute for the development of the school there.

The walls of the temple are decorated with images and busts of Hindu deities, such as Krishna and Ganesh, which still retain their beauty despite generations of neglect. It is said that Hindu yatris from the South heading to Srinagar and Kashmir for the Amarnath Yatra used the temple – which has a pond and rooms for lodging – as an overnight stop.

Two new polio cases in Peshawar, Bara

PESHAWAR: The National Institute of Health, Islamabad, has confirmed two new polio cases, one each from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, bringing the nationwide tally to 104 this year so far. Officials said that refusals against oral polio vaccine (OPV) by parents had been a chronic problem as in both the new cases the affected children had not been vaccinated. They said that one-year-old Salma Bibi, daughter of Iqbal Khan, residing in Nasab Colony on Charsadda Road, Peshawar, had not received even a single dose of the OPV. “She has not been administered OPV throughout Sehat ka Insaf programme because of her mother’s unwillingness,” the officials said. According to them, her mother didn't open the door for vaccinators as per her husband's instructions due to which her daughter got crippled. Same is the case of Hafsa, daughter of Khan Jamal, who remained unvaccinated due to her parents’ defiance to let OPV administered to their child. The eight-month-old girl child lives in Milward area of Bara tehsil, Khyber Agency, where bulk of the people are under misconception that vaccination was forbidden in Islam, the sources said. In both cases, the children have not received even a single dose of OPV The officials said that in half of the 18 cases recorded by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the children hadn’t received any dose of OPV due to their parents’ refusal. They said that the vaccinators recorded about 50,000 refusals, bulk of which came from Bannu which had nine cases in 2014 so far. The number of refusals against OPV is over 6,000 in Mardan, which has one case this year, according to officials associated with the vaccination campaign. Peshawar with seven cases in 2014 is also faced with serious problem of refusals. There are over 7,000 refusals in Peshawar which has been the main hindrance in the way of polio eradication, the officials said. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led government ran Sehat Ka Insaf programme in February this year under which over 800,000 children in the district were administered vaccines 12 times on weekly basis. Later, the programme was extended to Charsadda, Mardan and Swabi to protect children against vaccine-preventable crippling childhood ailments, including polio. However, relevant officials say that there is no chance of eradicating polio in the province as long as the refusals exist. Lakki Marwat has one case this year, but there are 5,000 refusals, the officials said. The children missed in every campaign also pose a serious threat to the government’s efforts to do away with the disease. Despite the health department’s efforts to vaccinate five million children the number of refusals and missed children are the chronic issues to be addressed as soon as possible if the province is to be purged of polio, they said. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has also been at the receiving end of the polio transmission from Fata, which has recorded 76 cases this year. They include 57 cases from North Waziristan Agency, 10 Khyber Agency, seven South Waziristan Agency and two from Frontier Region, Bannu. With the displacement of people from North Waziristan where children have not been vaccinated since June 2012 due to Taliban’s ban on vaccination, the situation has aggravated because all those unvaccinated children now live in Bannu and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Published in Dawn, Aug 2nd , 2014

600 outlaws hauled up in one week

PESHAWAR: The law-enforcement agencies have arrested around 600 outlaws in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the last one week. Of them, around 300 were held for violation of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Security Ordinance, 2014, according to a statement issued by the government here on Friday. Among the arrested men were 100 Afghan nationals, who were found to be involved in different crimes and had no valid documents for their stay in the country. Home and tribal affairs secretary Akhtar Ali Shah said search operation against terrorists had been in progress in the province, where the law-enforcement agencies were doing well for restoration of peace. He said security plan for Eidul Fitr was very successful, where police commandoes and administration foiled attempts of terrorist activities at different places and defused the improvised explosive devices. The secretary appreciated the role of the bomb disposal unit and sniper dogs during the current search operation against miscreants in the province. He said the law-enforcement agencies would continue with the monitoring of Afghan nationals as part of the plan to protect public life and property. USC EMPLOYEE KILLED: The Peshawar police on Friday arrested an employee of the Utility Stores Corporation outlet for killing his colleague. Cantonment Circle SP Kamran Faisal said Sarband Badrul Islam of Charsadda was allegedly killed by colleague Shah Fahd on July 20 and that the body was recovered on Friday. He said the suspected killer wanted to sell the USC outlet’s items on the black market but the slain colleague foiled the bid. The SP said the suspect had confessed to the killing. “Shah Fahd has told investigators that he kidnapped Sarband Badrul Islam, killed him near Ring Road Chowk and threw the body into a nearby canal. The body was later recovered from Ormar,” he said. The SP said the police said registered a case against the suspect. KIDNAPPER ARRESTED: The Tehkal Bala police on Friday arrested a man in the Haji Camp area for kidnapping a girl. A police official said Farooq was wanted for luring a local girl for fleeing home to marry him against the will of parents. He said the suspect was being interrogated. Published in Dawn, Aug 2nd , 2014

Out of the Bagram frying pan, into the fire

ISLAMABAD: For many families across the country ravaged by terrorism and sectarian strife, this year’s Eid brought no joy. Among such households are three families of former and current inmates of the infamous prison at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan. Ammanatullah Ali had been detained in Bagram since 2003. Originally from Jaranawala, he has a sister and six brothers and is married with five children of his own. In 2003, he was picked up from Iraq, where he claims he had gone for Ziarat. His family did not hear from him for six months, until the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) informed them that Amanat was imprisoned at Bagram Airbase. The family tried to secure his release any way they could. In 2011, Amanat’s brother, Abdul Razzaq, hand-delivered a letter to the foreign secretary explaining the circumstances of Amanat’s detention. He asked the Pakistani government to secure his brother’s return. Abdul never received a response to this letter. Three families' lives changed forever by the infamous Afghan prison In November 2011, Razzaq heard from the Detainee Review Board at Bagram, who told him prison authorities were ready to release Amanat and that Razzaq should urge the Pakistani government to repatriate him. Abdul contacted the Pakistani government and was informed that Amanat would be repatriated within three to four days. However, that never happened and Amanat continues to remain detained at Bagram. This year, the family's hopes were raised again when they were contacted by the ICRC and told that Amanat was one of 14 Pakistani inmates slated for release before this Eid, Razzaq told Dawn. But the list was later revised down to nine men and Amanat's name was left out. "I've been taking care of Amanat's wife and children, as well as our widowed mother and brother. My father and one of my brothers have passed away and I'm the only one providing for all these people," he told Dawn over the phone from his home in Faisalabad. "We haven't seen him in nearly 11 years. All we want is for him to come home. His children need a father, I need my brother to help me support the family," he said. While Amanat still flounders across the border, 28-year-old Iftikhar Ahmed has managed to make it back to Pakistan. Hailing from Pakpattan, Iftikhar was taken into custody from Balochistan, where the family claims he was working on water projects near Quetta. He went missing around February 2010. The family worried for months, then in June of the same year, they heard from the ICRC that he was imprisoned in Bagram. According to his family, Iftikhar has a history of mental illness and the experience in one of the world's most notorious prisons, they fear, may have done irreparable damage to his already fragile mind. He was repatriated to Pakistan on May 15 of this year, but is currently detained at a facility in Sahiwal. His lawyers have petitioned the Lahore High Court for his release on humanitarian grounds and on July 24, Justice Khalid Mehmood Khan ordered the Punjab government to transfer him to a mental health facility. His wife Fatima, who had been married to Iftikhar only a few months when the two were separated, has been fighting for her husband's release. Visibly emotional, Fatima told Dawn that her house had not felt any joy in four and a half years. "I ask you, how can a house without people remain a home? After a while, it seems hollow and empty," she said. She currently lives with Iftikhar's brother in another village in Pakpattan and despite her efforts to secure his release, she is not too hopeful that she will get to see her husband again. "I threw away all my bangles and nice things. I beseech the government to give him back to me, that's all. I'll take care of him. I won't make any claims for compensation either," she says, at the end of her tether. Displaced on return Perhaps most bittersweet is the story of North Waziristan-resident Abdul Sattar, who was released from Bagram earlier this year after serving three years at Bagram. He found out about his impending return to Pakistan only a day before it happened. But in a cruel twist of fate, by the time Sattar was released from his detention on Pakistani soil, the military operation in North Waziristan had begun and those living in the area were forced to flee. Sattar told Dawn that after his release, he had joined his family in Swabi, where they had rented a three-room house for Rs5000/month. He and his family share this space with his father, three brothers and their families. Speaking to Dawn on the phone from Swabi, Sattar said he was terribly homesick for his house in Razmak. “The recent rains have ruined everything that was left behind when my family fled the area,” he said. Shahab Siddiqi, spokesperson for Justice Project Pakistan – the organisation that represents the Bagram detainees in court – told Dawn that at least 24 more Pakistanis were languishing in the notorious prison, but this number is not independently verifiable. “This estimate is based on numbers disclosed by the Pakistani government in February 2012, so we fear that the number may be higher. The lack of transparency around this information, there is a risk of Pakistan citizens ‘disappearing’ without being according their legal rights.” Published in Dawn, Aug 2nd , 2014

At least five dead as rain batters Karachi

Rains Turns Weather Pleasant In Karachi by dawn-news A man in Metroville died as a wall collapsed on him. A woman and two children were injured in a similar incident in the Naval Colony and were shifted to a hospital for treatment where the woman and one child succumbed to their injuries. In Karachi’s Buffer Zone area, two people died as a result of electrocution. Monsoon rains are ongoing in different parts of the country and lashed Karachi late at night. As the initial monsoon rains battered the city, most parts of Karachi faced power outages as several feeders of K-Electric (KE) tripped. Many areas were flooded due to rainwater and the wind also rooted out multiple signboards across the city. The meteorological department has predicted a continuing spell of rain.

Attack on passenger bus in Hangu kills one

PESHAWAR: One person was killed and another injured on Saturday when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a passenger coach in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's Hangu district. Police sources said unidentified assailants opened fire on the coach near Doaba area of Hangu leading to the casualties. Police has registered a case and is investigating the motive and other circumstances surrounding the attack. Meanwhile, in the Bajaur tribal region, suspected militants blew up an under construction Frontier Corps (FC) picket in the agency’s Gaki Pass area. Official sources said the checkpost was under construction and no loss of life took place in the attack. Hangu, racked by sectarian violence, is situated in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which is on the frontline of a seven-year-long Taliban insurgency and abuts the semi-autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). School blown up in Mohmand Suspected militants blew up a school in the Mohmand tribal region early on Saturday. Official sources said suspected militants had planted explosives in the government girls primary school situated in the Dando Bridge area of Mohmand which went off. No loss of life was reported but the school has been partially destroyed. Mohmand is one of Pakistan’s seven tribal agencies near the Afghan border which are rife with homegrown insurgents and are said to be strongholds of Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives.

Three suspected militants killed in North Waziristan

PESHAWAR: Three suspected militants were killed during the ongoing Zarb-i-Azb operation in the Mir Ali tehsil of North Waziristan on Saturday, official sources said. The claims however could not be independently verified. Sources said security forces killed three suspected militants during the military operation, whereas a huge quantity of arms and ammunition was also recovered. The media has no access to the tribal region, making it difficult to verify the claims of either the military or militant sources. Operation Zarb-i-Azb was launched by the Pakistan Army on June 15, following a brazen Taliban-claimed attack on Karachi's Jinnah International Airport and the failure of peace talks between negotiators representing the government and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Explosion at factory in eastern China kills 65: state media

KUNSHAN: An explosion killed 65 people Saturday as it ripped through a factory in eastern China on Saturday, state media said, injuring 150 in what appeared to be an industrial accident. The blast in Kunshan, a city in the eastern province of Jiangsu near Shanghai, “has resulted in 65 deaths”, state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) said, citing official sources. The explosion occurred Saturday morning at a factory which is involved in the production of car parts for US automotive companies, including General Motors, state media said. “We heard the explosion and we were all shocked,” a security guard from a nearby factory who declined to be named told AFP. He said the blast occurred as workers were changing shifts, resulting in higher casualties. Graphic photographs posted online showed a charred body being wheeled on a stretcher, and people with burned clothing sitting on the ground outside a factory complex that was billowing black smoke. Preliminary investigations show that the blast was caused by dust produced as workers polished metal meeting with high temperatures or an open flame, China's ministry of public security said on a verified microblogging account. More than 150 people were injured when a “powerful blast ripped through “the factory, beginning at a wheel hub polishing workshop, China's official Xinhua news agency said. “The scene is a mess, it's unrecognisable,” a witness at the scene wrote on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter. Industrial accidents common Police officers sealed off the area around the factory, part of a development zone in northeast Kunshan, about 75 kilometers (46 miles) west of China's commercial hub Shanghai. The firm identified by CCTV, Taiwanese-owned Kunshan Zhongrong Metal Products Ltd. says on its website it employs 450 workers. Forty people were killed on the scene, while more than 20 others died in hospital, the broadcaster added, showing footage of a huge plume of black smoke. Neither the company nor a spokeswoman for General Motors in China were immediately available for comment. Industrial accidents occur with some regularity in China, where safety standards are often lax. A fire at a poultry plant in the northeast of the country killed 119 people last year. Reports at the time said that managers had locked doors inside the factory to prevent workers from going to the toilet, leading to the high death toll. Medical staff have been sent from China's commercial hub Shanghai to treat burns victims, the People's Daily added in an online post. Jiangsu province is located on China's coast. Many local and foreign companies have facilities there producing goods for export. Kunshan is a centre for Taiwanese investment, with factories supplying China's vast automotive manufacturing industry. The blast comes two days after at least 26 people were killed in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung in a suspected gas pipeline explosion. A pipeline explosion in the Chinese coastal city of Qingdao last year killed 62 people and injured 136.

Fresh bloodshed in Gaza as Hamas denies holding soldier

GAZA CITY: A fresh wave of violence killed dozens in Gaza after the collapse of a UN and US backed ceasefire, officials said Saturday, as Hamas denied it kidnapped an Israeli soldier. A Palestinian delegation was due to arrive in Cairo for talks on the terms of a durable truce, however, even after the 72-hour humanitarian ceasefire fell apart within hours starting on Friday. But the chances of a new truce seemed remote after Israel said it believed militants captured Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin, 23, in an attack near the southern Gaza city of Rafah that killed two other soldiers. In the violence that ensued, at least 107 Palestinians were killed in Israel air strikes on the Gaza Strip, including 35 since midnight, officials said. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, a member of Israel's security cabinet which met till the early hours of Saturday, accused Hamas of being behind the soldier's disappearance and said the group would pay a high price. US President Barack Obama called for the soldier to be “unconditionally “released, but also said more must be done to protect Gaza civilians. But Hamas' armed wing denied any knowledge about the fate of the missing soldier. “The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades has no information on this soldier. We have lost contact with one of our combatant groups, which was fighting in the sector where the soldier went missing and it is possible that our fighters and this soldier were killed,” it said. On Saturday, AFP correspondents said Israeli aerial strikes targeted a mosque at Jebaliya, in northern Gaza, and flattened houses in a beachside neighbourhood. In Israel, the Iron Dome air defence system intercepted two rockets fired from Gaza over the Tel Aviv area and another over the southern city of Beersheba, the army said. The Qassam Brigades said they had fired three rockets at Tel Aviv. Congress approves Israel funds The US Congress had meanwhile on Friday approved an emergency $225 million to restock the Iron Dome systems with interceptor missiles, in a measure that awaits Obama's signature. Palestinian emergency services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said at least 107 Palestinians had been killed in Gaza since the planned three-day ceasefire collapsed soon after it started at 0500 GMT on Friday. Since the conflict broke out on July 8, a total of about 1,650 Palestinians have been killed in the violence, the vast majority of them civilians, Qudra said. On the Israeli side, 63 soldiers and three civilians have died. The Israeli military said the two latest deaths among its forces occurred in the same incident in which the soldier went missing near Rafah. “Our initial indications suggest a soldier has been abducted by terrorists in an incident where terrorists breached the ceasefire,” said spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner. Israelis are highly sensitive about the kidnapping of their soldiers. In 2006, Hamas militants from Gaza captured Israeli conscript Gilad Shalit and held him for five years before freeing him in exchange for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. Obama said the United States “unequivocally condemned Hamas and the Palestinian factions that were responsible for killing two Israeli soldiers, and abducting a third almost minutes after a ceasefire had been announced”. “If they are serious about trying to trying to resolve this situation, that soldier needs to be unconditionally released, as soon as possible. “We have also been clear that innocent civilians in Gaza caught in the crossfire have to weigh on our conscience and we have to do more to protect them,” the US president added. Cairo talks 'still on' US Secretary of State John Kerry had said that once the ceasefire was under way, Israeli and Palestinian representatives, including from Hamas, would begin talks in Cairo on a more durable truce. The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad later said Egypt was postponing the talks after news of the missing Israeli soldier, but Cairo said the invitation to talk was “still in place”. And Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said a joint delegation, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, would travel to Cairo on Saturday for talks despite the renewed fighting. Before the truce, Israeli tank fire and aerial bombardment killed 14 Palestinians in Gaza, and the army said five soldiers died in mortar fire near the shared border. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office accused Hamas and other Gaza militants of “flagrantly violating” the ceasefire. Hamas in turn said Israel “violated the ceasefire” and that “the Palestinian resistance acted based on... the right to self defence”. Israel launched “Operation Protective Edge” on July 8 to counter rocket fire from Gaza, and nine days later it sent ground troops into the Palestinian enclave to destroy tunnels used by militants to attack its territory. It has vowed to press on with the offensive until the tunnels are demolished.

Petitioner moves SHC over Karachi beach tragedy

KARACHI: A petition was submitted on Saturday in the Sindh High Court over the apparent lack of a contingency plan to prevent the Karachi beach tragedy. The petition, submitted by Nadeem Sheikh Advocate, stated that the institutions concerned should have formulated an emergency plan for the beaches before Eidul Fitr. The petition has made the Sindh government and Inspector General Sindh Police a party to the application. The petitioner further said that a thorough inquiry of the incident which has claimed lives of at least 34 people should take place. He added that the autopsies of those who died should be carried out as a high number of deaths occurred due to sea pollution. The holidaymakers had drowned while bathing at Clifton and Hawkesbay beaches on the second day of Eidul Fitr. Officials and rescue personnel had said that this was the highest death toll on Karachi’s beaches in recent history. Officials moreover put the onus on picnickers for not being careful while swimming in rough seas amid poor security and administrative arrangements.

Islamic State withdraws from Syria villages: NGO

BEIRUT: The jihadist Islamic State has withdrawn from several villages dominated by a Sunni tribe in eastern Deir Ezzor province after clashes, a monitoring group said Friday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the extremist group had withdrawn from Abu Hamam, Kashkiyeh and Ghranij, three villages dominated by the Sunni Shaitat tribe in oil-rich Deir Ezzor. The group said members of the tribe also set fire to a headquarters belonging to the Islamic State in a fourth village and there were reports that the jihadists had withdrawn from a fifth village in the area. Fighting between members of the Shaitat Sunni tribe and jihadists began on Wednesday, with tribal members tweeting about an “uprising” against IS. The clashes erupted after IS detained three members of the tribe, “violating an agreement”, it said. The Observatory said the Shaitat had promised IS it would not oppose it, in exchange for the jihadists not harassing or attacking its members. On Thursday, IS members raided the villages, searching houses and kidnapping or “detaining” an unknown number of people, the Observatory said, adding that fighting was raging. The Observatory said nine IS fighters had been killed in the clashes, and that the jihadist group was rallying forces from across the border in Iraq to send in as reinforcements. IS has its roots in Al Qaeda but has split from the group and has seized large swathes of territory in both Syria and Iraq. It faces opposition from both moderate and Islamist rebels in Syria.

Model Town case: Court orders IO to submit challan on completing probe

LAHORE: An Anti-terrorism court on Saturday ordered the investigation officer (IO) of the Model Town incident to submit a challan after completion of the probe regarding the actions of Gullu Butt into the episode on August 9 . Gullu Butt, the notorious baton-wielding man seen damaging vehicles in Lahore during the clashes that erupted on June 17, appeared in court today. During the hearing, the accused pleaded for more time, following which the court ordered that the challan should be completed before the said date. Meanwhile, policemen accused for their alleged involvement in the Lahore incident — Station House Inspector (SHO) Sheikh Amir Saleem, Elite Force Inspector Hafiz Athar and Constables Muhammad Naveed and Khurram — also appeared in the court today. The ATC extended the physical remand of the accused policemen to six days and subsequently adjourned the hearing until Aug 8. At least 11 people died and more than 100 were injured when violent clashes broke out with Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) supporters and the Punjab police in Model Town on June 17. Separately, the judicial tribunal constituted to investigate the incident recently completed its probe and is expected to submit a report when it is complete. Lahore High Court Chief Justice Khwaja Imtiaz Ahmad had constituted the tribunal on the request of the Punjab government. The final report will be sent to the government, after which those responsible for the incident will be identified and tried under the law. The ATC is currently trying Gullu Butt under vandalism charges as he came into the limelight after he was caught on camera brazenly damaging several vehicles in the presence of police, during the clash between Pakistan Awami Tehreek workers and police in Lahore's Model Town on June 17. The five policemen have been booked under charges of firing and vandalism. The court is also trying Superintendent Police (SP) Security Sulaiman Khan, who had allegedly ordered policemen to open fire on protesters in Model Town, and constable Abid Ali under the charges.

Shiva Sena MP allegedly forces Muslim worker to break fast

A Shiv Sena MP allegedly forced a Muslim staff member of the Maharashtra Sadan in New Delhi to break his Ramadan fast by making him eat bread, according to Indian media reports. The incident, which reportedly took place last week, sent shockwaves through political circles. However, the accused MP Sanjay Raut denied the allegation against him, saying that there seemed a plot to give a communal twist to the entire episode. Shiv Sena MPs have been agitating against the allegedly flawed management of Maharashtra Bhavan, especially the official administrators who are accused of turning the Bhavan into their personal fief. A senior Sena MP Anadrao Adsul denied media reports that a party MP had forcefully shoved a roti down the throat of an employee who was observing a fast for Ramazan. Adsul said that MPs were not even aware that the staff member belonged to the Muslim community. Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), which is the Indian Railways subsidiary catering to Maharashtra Sadan, has suspended all operations in protest against the incident. There was uproar in both Houses of Parliament when reports surfaced that a Shiva Sena MP, supposedly angry over not receiving Maharashtrian food, forced a Muslim worker to eat bread, causing him to break his fast. When the Lok Sabha gathered for the day, opposition leaders brought up the issue and declared it violation of religious beliefs.

School head arrested in India over rape

NEW DELHI: The head of a school in southern India where a six-year-old girl was raped on July 2 was arrested on Wednesday and charged with hindering the investigation and negligence, police said. Rustom Kerawalla, the chairman of VIBGYOR High school, was charged with negligence for failing to ensure the student’s safety. Kerawalla made no statement to media as he was being led away by police. Earlier this week police arrested the school’s skating instructor and charged him with attacking the child. Police said the school performed no background check while hiring the instructor in 2011. Newspapers have said that the instructor had been fired from a previous job for “inappropriate” behaviour with female students. Police said that the girl was recovering from the attack. Over the weekend, parents and relatives of children who attend the school in Bangalore shouted slogans against the school’s administration and demanded that police act swiftly against those involved in the assault, which was reported only last week. Published in Dawn, July 24th , 2014

Shiv Sena calls rape charges 'a fashion'

NEW DELHI: Indian right-wing party Shiv Sena Saturday said filing sexual assault charges has “become a fashion” in an article backing a police officer accused of rape. The hardline nationalist outfit — a key ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government based in Maharashtra state — threw its support behind a senior state police officer who has been accused of rape by a model and questioned the victim's intentions. “Cases of charging men with molestation and rape in hi-fi (high) societies to create hype is on a rise now. It has almost become a fashion,” the hardline Hindu nationalist outfit wrote in its mouthpiece, “Saamana” (To Confront). “After he has served for so many years in the police force, one model now charges DIG (deputy inspector general) Sunil Paraskar with rape and in one night he becomes a villain. "Such accusations have become good weapons to seek personal revenge." It added that the Indian judicial system needed to “open its eyes” and protect the innocent because “all the laws in the country favour women so anyone can slap any charge against anyone”. The model who filed the rape complaint, and who cannot be named for legal reasons, hit out at the Shiv Sena article later Saturday. “This matter is in court, no-one should be commenting in sensitive matters like this without knowing all the facts,” the woman told national news agency Press Trust of India. India toughened sex assault laws following the fatal gang-rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi in December 2012 which sparked nationwide protests, but the move has done little to stem sex attacks against women. Last month the alleged rape of a six-year-old girl in a school triggered a series of street protests by angry parents and political activists over the lack of safety for women and children in the country. A 16-year-old girl in Dehi was also gang raped at gun point in June while a seven year old girl was found hanging from a tree in a village in West Bengal state. Locals suspect she was raped. In May two girls in Uttar Pradesh state found hanging from a tree had been gang raped in a case that sparked new waves of public revulsion over violence towards women. Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party promised a “zero tolerance” approach to violence against women after it swept to power at May elections. However two state BJP ministers trivialised rape in June when one said the attacks happened “accidentally” and another said that they were “sometimes right, sometimes wrong”. Uttar Pradesh's Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh was also the target of public anger in April when he told an election rally that he opposed the recently introduced death penalty for gang-rapists, saying “boys make mistakes”. The Shiv Sena, which has a history of inciting violence, came under fire after some of its MPs tried to forcibly feed a chapati — an Indian flatbread — to a Muslim restaurant manager fasting for Ramazan because they were unhappy about food at a government canteen on July 23.

Government's future is bleak: Pervez Elahi

LAHORE: While declaring a 'bleak future' for the Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) government on Saturday, Pakistan Muslim League – Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Pervez Elahi said the doors for negotiation with the government were no longer open. Speaking to media representatives after meeting Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri in the Minhajul Quran International's Lahore secretariat, Elahi said no contact had been established with the government, neither would any efforts be made for the same. He told reporters that detailed consultations had been held between PML-Q leadership and Qadri, adding that the future course of action would be declared at a press conference whereas the decision on whether or not to partake in Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) million man long march on Islamabad would be taken tomorrow. Elahi said detention or imprisonment do not deter him from making the right call. Earlier, Elahi and his cousin Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, held talks with the PAT chief today in a meeting which lasted for two hours. During the meeting, Awami Muslim League (AML) leader Sheikh Rashid was also present. The talks come at a time when the PTI is finalising its strategy for the August 14 long march in Islamabad where the army has been mandated to assist the civil administration in maintaining law and order in the federal capital.

PPP will no longer be 'friendly opposition' in Parliament: Khurshid Shah

ISLAMABAD: Main opposition party in parliament Pakistan Peoples Party has announced to end its role of "friendly opposition" in the Parliament. “We would now act as the opposition and not as the friendly opposition that we did in Parliament in order to save parliamentary democracy,” Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah told Dawn over telephone from his hometown of Sukkur. Shah castigated the government for invoking Article 245 of the Constitution which the latter has employed to deploy the army in the federal capital and termed it "a political blunder" by the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. "Neither the Parliament, nor the political parties were taken into confidence over a decision as important as this,” Shah said. "An in camera joint session of the Parliament should have been called before invoking this article,” Shah remarked. He said the prevailing political situation had led the government to behave in a confused manner, adding that it had also closed dialogue with other political forces, a situation which Shah said was resulting in chaos. "The government should urgently restart dialogue with varying political forces otherwise I fear that the democratic system may become jeopardised,” Shah warned.

Misbah deflects captaincy talk, vows to spoil Jayawardene's send-off

KARACHI: Pakistan will do whatever it takes to win the two-Test series in Sri Lanka even if it means spoiling senior batsman Mahela Jayawardene's farewell party, captain Misbah-ul-Haq said on Saturday. Former Sri Lanka captain Jayawardene, who has scored 11,671 runs in 147 Tests averaging over 50, announced last month he would retire from Test cricket after the home series against Pakistan starting at Galle on Wednesday. “If we are to win the series in Sri Lanka, we have to ensure that their top batsmen, particularly Jayawardene, is not allowed to get many runs,” Misbah told a news conference on the eve of the team's departure for Sri Lanka. “I have a lot of respect for what he has achieved but we are going to Sri Lanka to win the two-Test series and we know how important it is for us to not allow their senior players to score.” Jayawardene, 37, has also scored 11681 runs in 420 one-dayers and with stalwart Kumar Sangakkara is the mainstay of the Sri Lankan batting. Misbah predicted a tough series against the Sri Lankans who have a strong home record. “It is going to be a tough series because Sri Lanka have been playing lot of Test and other cricket. But we have prepared hard and I have confidence in our bowlers,” said Misbah. “Our spinners have traditionally done well in Sri Lanka but we are banking on our pace bowlers as well.” Misbah, who turned 40 in May and has a modest strike rate in one-dayers, was coy about his chances of leading Pakistan in next year's 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. “I just focus on the match at the moment because that is important. No one knows what will happen after one day so why think about the World Cup. “I take it one match at a time and carry on from there. And I am under no pressure because of the captaincy debate,” he added.

Man walks free after ‘humiliating’ former fiancée on Facebook

ISLAMABAD: In the absence of a proper legal framework to check crimes committed online, nearly all those accused of harassment, cyber attacks or leaking ‘private’ material, manage to escape prosecution. Recently, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) freed a young man – accused of uploading compromising photographs of his former fiancée – on bail because the prosecution did not have sufficient evidence to incriminate him. According to details that emerged in court, the suspect fell in love with the girl in question, a resident of Rawalpindi, and the two were betrothed nearly four years ago. According to the suspect’s brother, the engagement had the blessing of both families. But in March of this year, the engagement was annulled. The suspect’s brother told Dawn the union was broken off when certain compromising photographs of the girl appeared on the social networking site, Facebook. However, in the complaint filed by her with the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Circle, she accused her former fiancé of uploading the photographs. Suspected of posting compromising photos, the man was granted bail due to absence of effective cyber crime laws In the application, she alleged that he was blackmailing her on social media and that he had also sent the photographs to one of her cousins. The complainant also alleged that the suspect had hacked into her Facebook account and began impersonating her in conversations with her friends and family members. The FIA Cyber Crime Circle took the accused young man into custody on June 11 and registered a case against him. The FIR reads: “During the course of inquiry it transpired that (the suspect) … accessed the Facebook profile of the complainant (without authorisation) … and posted vulgar/defamatory comments. He also uploaded obscene photos on her Facebook page”. Pakistan does not have a specific law to deal with cyber crimes, particularly cyberstalking. In the absence of such a law or ordinance, the FIA cannot touch many issues. Government offices relied on the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Ordinance, 2007. When it lapsed in November 2009, they turned to the older Electronic Transactions Ordinance (ETO) 2002, when required. Under the ETO, the highest punishment for cyber crimes is a maximum of seven years in prison. The ETO deals with electronic transactions of documents, records, information and other forms of communication. However, it does not address specific issues, such as online harassment or the publication of compromising photographs or videos. The ETO was drafted at a time when information technology (IT) was not what it is today. IT experts say it cannot be used against hackers and cyber bullies such as the young man in question, whose former fiancé was all but destroyed by this terrible invasion of privacy. Though the case against him still continues in court, the absence of suitable laws has ensured that he is being treated relatively lightly. His appeal for bail was granted by the IHC due to a lack of ‘concrete legislation’ by Justice Noorul Haq N. Qureshi. Generally, bail is granted in cases where the court believes that evidence against a suspect is weak. According to Wahajus Siraj, convener at the Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (ISPAK), there are no laws against such misuse of social media websites. “Law enforcement agencies still rely on the outdated ETO and certain sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) to prosecute the accused,” he said, adding that, “In such cases, it is very difficult for someone, especially women, to protect their dignity and privacy”. According to Mr Siraj, the government has been was working on a new cyber crime bill, “but so far, it has not been tabled in the parliament or discussed with the federal cabinet”. Sagheer Wattoo, a spokesman for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, also admitted that there were currently no laws dealing with the distribution of obscene material that may endanger the lives and reputation of individuals, especially women. He said the Cyber Crimes Bill 2014 had been finalised and would be placed before the federal cabinet after Eid. “The bill has been prepared by IT minister Anusha Rehman and she has incorporated sections relating to the protection of women in the law,” he added. Published in Dawn, Aug 2nd , 2014

Who’ll save the day?

The writer is a former editor of Dawn. ***************************************************************************************************************************** THE focus for now may be on Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza, but sooner or later Muslim countries will need to address the internal rot that threatens the peace, stability and harmony in each of them. By its mad and sickening attacks on Gaza, Israel is drawing fire and not enough, if you ask me, given the enormity of the death toll of civilians, including children, by its air strikes and artillery bombardment. Many in the West were earlier apprehensive of being termed anti-Semitic if they criticised the State of Israel. Slowly but surely the tragic images emerging from Gaza are emboldening one and all to demand an end to murderous Israeli actions, and the Jewish state seems to be losing the battle for key public opinion. It is pointless for now to examine what ails the Muslim world, but it is worthwhile keeping Pakistan firmly in our sights. The latest Gaza tragedy has brought together in one voice, for example, opinion leaders and Orthodox Jews alike in the United States, and it seems many with a conscience now believe Israeli transgressions to be so criminally excessive that silence isn’t an option. But it isn’t clear how this shifting public opinion among quarters normally sympathetic to Israel’s cause will translate into relief for the Gaza residents as reportedly not a family has been spared bereavement and not a home left unscathed by the ferocity of the attacks Gaza has had to brave. Even an intransigent and arrogant Likud-led Israeli government will realise that its murder and mayhem can’t go on endlessly and will look for some ceasefire option, having made the political point to a hard-line baying-for-Palestinian blood support base at home. Then Gaza will slip from the headlines, occasionally returning with a spurt in violence or when yet another effort is made to kick into life the dead peace process. But the story will revert to being relegated to the back-burner as it has been over the past so many years. When this happens, Muslim countries will once again need to focus on internal strife and toxic ideologies, spreading like wildfire among the malcontents at home. The sooner this happens the better. In fact, Gaza may provide the impetus for this. For surely, the impotence of their leaders, many of whom are wary of the sort of political Islam Hamas has come to represent and which the Muslim Brotherhood displayed whilst briefly in power in Egypt, must anger the common man and woman on the street, creating an inflammable situation. It is pointless for now to reach far and wide across the Muslim world and examine what ails the ‘ummah’ but more appropriate to keep Pakistan firmly in our sights. Yes, Pakistan where even as an operation is ongoing in various parts of the country against militancy, intolerance is rampant. The tragic photograph of two young men lying dead in a Quetta street, with blood still oozing from their bullet wounds could easily have been mistaken for Gaza. However, our own capacity to kill in the name of faith is second to none. This newspaper earlier this week quoted the outgoing director-general of Sindh Rangers, the articulate but not necessarily effective Maj-Gen Rizwan Akhtar, as describing sectarian killings as a very complicated ‘phenomenon’ that has to be dealt with in a number of areas and that wasn’t just a law and order problem. This was the general’s way of perhaps absolving himself of responsibility for the dozens, if not hundreds, of Shia professionals who have been mowed down in Karachi on the DG Rangers’ watch. It must be a huge embarrassment to the officer that he was not able to make any breakthrough despite his abundant resources to track down sectarian killers. The story of our men in khaki is not too different in Balochistan where it is kosher to be allegedly involved in ‘disappearances’ and the killing of separatists whose bodies are routinely found dumped in the province but be apparently so clueless about Lashkar-i-Jhangvi that allegations of complicity are levelled. While our soldiers’ sacrifices in the war against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan are laudable and worthy of being cherished, their leaders’ soft corner for terrorists belonging to one particular school of (religious) thought is alarming to say the least. It would be wrong to blame only the army and its intelligence set-up. The current PML-N elected government also often acts like it’s committed to the same bent of thinking, reportedly offering teaching jobs to those graduating from the madressahs belonging to the Deobandi school. And the close ties of PML-N leaders with some of the sectarian leaders are not a well-kept secret. But the truth is it isn’t one school of thought which carries the blame for the intolerance that’s made its home in the country. After all, how can one ever forget how the killer of Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer was feted by Barelvi religious leaders and how the judge who pronounced the verdict in the case had to leave Pakistan to stay alive? More recently, as one read with shock and horror the burning of Ahmadi homes in Gujranwala by a seemingly demented, singing and chanting crowd and the killing of an innocent woman and children, one was shocked to see criticism of the ‘liberals’ by a Shia organisation’s social media account. Its wrath was directed at the ‘liberals’ because they were ‘deliberately’ clubbing together Ahmadi victims and Shia Muslim victims of murderous thugs and this was a conspiracy to remove the distinction between a Muslim sect and a group declared a minority by parliament. Not for a moment, did the organisation consider that perhaps the two were being mentioned in the same breath as both were being supported as innocent victims of serial murderers. With such thinking on all sides even hope is fast becoming a luxury. Who’ll act to save the day?