Terrorism Watch

6 April 2012 / E. BARIŞ ALTINTAŞ, İSTANBUL The Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) could face a closure case at the Constitutional Court -- only three years after its predecessor, the Democratic Society Party (DTP), was shut down by the same high court -- after a prosecutor conducting an investigation into the terrorist Kurdistan Communities’ Union (KCK) network accused the BDP of having links to the KCK. The prosecutor sent a copy of the indictment regarding the KCK, which was accepted by an İstanbul court earlier this week, to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Supreme Court of Appeals. After their review, if the Supreme Court of Appeals’ prosecutors establish that the KCK is indeed linked to the BDP, they may file charges against the BDP seeking to close it down on charges of separatism. Columnist Bülent Korucu said the only way to avoid party closures is to adopt solid legislation. “Turkey has to base party closures on solid criteria. At this point, the only fair criteria in that rega

6 April 2012 / SÜLEYMAN BAĞ & AZAMAT DAMIR , BERLIN Neo-Nazi groups suspected of the murder of nine immigrants, including eight Turks, in racially motivated attacks over the span of six years starting in 2000, have shaken the democratic and liberal social order in Germany. “The murdered people are our citizens who have made Germany their new motherland. The murders committed are not ordinary ones,” says Sebastian Edathy, the head of the Research Commission of the German Federal Assembly, adding, “In the future we will come face-to-face with the unprecedented failure of civilization.” According to Edathy, Germany’s democratic principles have been violated. In the meantime, Edathy expressed shock as to the ignorance of the Turkish media about these incidents, emphasizing how the Turkish media remain disinterested in the neo-Nazi terrorist attacks that killed eight Turks. The string of killings of small businessmen, including a florist, a tailor and fast-food store owners -- ref

Apr. 6 2012 Members of the National Socialist Movement during a patrol on the US-Mexico border in January Neo-Nazis are currently conducting heavily armed patrols in and around Sanford, Florida and are "prepared" for violence in the case of a race riot. The patrols are to protect "white citizens in the area who are concerned for their safety" in the wake of the Trayvon Martin shooting last month, says Commander Jeff Schoep of the National Socialist Movement. "We are not advocating any type of violence or attacks on anybody, but we are prepared for it," he says. "We are not the type of white people who are going to be walked all over." Because nothing diffuses racial tension like gun-toting racial separatists patrolling an already on-edge community. Schoep, whose neo-Nazi group is based in Detroit, tells Riptide the patrols are a response to white residents' fears of a race riot. http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2012/04/heavil

WARNING: But republican terror group reveals split Friday April 06 2012 Northern police officers who switch forces and join the Garda are in the sights of the Continuity IRA. The hardline republican faction has issued an Easter warning about PSNI members who move south on temporary transfer to the gardai. In its Easter Rising commemoration message, CIRA compared PSNI recruits to the Garda Siochana to British soldiers in Ireland in 1916. "A further step has been taken to integrate the 26-County state forces into the British war machine with the announcement that RUC soldiers are now suitable to join the ranks of the 26-County police even up to top level. "These new arrangements will bring the British forces back south of the border 90 years after they were driven out by the men and women we honour today," the terror faction will say at commemorations across Ireland on Easter Sunday. But the anti-peace process terrorists also admit that their organisation has

12 hours ago THE NAMES OF 3,700 people who died during the Troubles were read aloud in a Dublin church on the 14th anniversary of the Good Friday peace agreement – an annual ceremony designed to underscore the terrible scope of lives lost. The Unitarian Church remembers the dead each Good Friday as ministers, congregation members and others take turns reading all names of those killed during the past 46 years of bloodshed over the British territory. The list includes about 250 people killed in the Republic of Ireland and in England, chiefly by the Irish Republican Army, as well as 18 in continental Europe. Friday’s list of victims was read alphabetically, about 20 names per minute, over the course of three hours. One of the organisers, Andy Pollak, said it was crucial for all of Ireland to remember how the conflict created victims of every age, in every walk of life. ‘All human life and death’ “All human life and death is in this mournful list,” said Pollak, who directs the Centr

FRIDAY, 06 APRIL 2012 MARC HALL An international human rights group has said a Colombian peace process cannot begin unless mediators are given access to FARC prisoners, reported local media Friday. In a letter to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, Women of the World Advocates for Peace (MMGP), led by ex-senator Piedad Cordoba, expressed their disappointment she had not yet been authorized to visit the FARC prisoners. The FARC, which released its last ten political hostages Monday, had earlier said it would only go through with the liberation if Cordoba was given prisoner access - but ultimately freed them anyway. MMGP said it felt deceived by the government, which had promised to allow a visit. The government initially granted Cordoba premission to visit the FARC guerrillas "on humanitarian grounds" but later withdrew it, saying it felt the peace activist was using her visit "as a 'down payment" in the peace process between the guerrillas and the g

Friday, 6 April 2012 Kurdish autonomy is ready to cooperate with Turkey to successfully solve the Kurdish problem, said the head of the Kurdish administration in northern Iraq Massoud Barzani said, CNN Turk channel reported. "The Kurdish autonomy is ready to mediate between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) to solve the Kurdish problem," Barzani said. Barzani added that the Kurdish administration is prepared to exert pressure on the PKK in order to prevent terrorism in Turkey. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said earlier it is required to use Iraqi security forces and to avoid foreign intervention for an effective fight against the PKK. In response, Vice President of Iraq Tariq al-Hashimi said Iraq wouldn't be able to defeat terrorism without foreign support. The Turkish Air Force made air strikes on Northern Iraq to destroy the PKK's bases in August-September 2011 and over 300 militants were killed. The Turkish General Staff said it will c

Names, e-mail addresses, business addresses, contact information and hashed passwords may have been accessed. By Jeff Goldman | April 06, 2012 Share Sophos recently shut down its Partner Portal site and reset all user passwords after identifying suspicious activity on its Web server. "Sophos Endpoint Security detected and blocked an attempt by the attacker to upload two hacking tools to the server," the company said in a statement. "The first was a program designed to steal passwords, the second a privilege escalation tool. Sophos detected these as the PUAs (potentially unwanted applications) as 'Windows Credentials Extractor' and 'BackEx.'" "An investigation is ongoing, but initial analysis of the incident reveals that the server’s database includes partner names, email addresses, business addresses, contact information and hashed passwords," writes Softpedia's Eduard Kovacs. "Only the o

Peru says Comrade Artemio is the last of the rebels' "historic leaders" Peru's President Ollanta Humala says the Shining Path rebel group has been "totally defeated" in one of its former strongholds. Mr Humala said the capture of Shining Path leader Freddy Arenas this week signalled the end of the Maoist guerrillas in the Alto Huallaga Valley. The Shining Path posed a major challenge to the Peruvian state in the 1980s but has since dwindled. Small gangs remain in the south-east, where they run much of the drug trade. The announcement came a day after Peruvian security forces made public the arrest of Mr Arenas in the Alto Huallaga Valley. 'Total defeat' The security forces said Mr Arenas, better known as Braulio, took over the leadership of the Shining Path in the region after the arrests earlier this year of previous leaders Comrade Artemio and Walter Diaz. "Not only have we caught the last of the historic leaders, Artemio, but

6 April 2012 Foreign Minister Zlatko Lagumdzija says the 11,541 empty chairs in Sarajevo are a tribute to those lost on all sides Ceremonies in Sarajevo are marking 20 years since the start of the war in Bosnia-Hercegovina, a conflict that saw the worst atrocities in Europe since World War II. The conflict began in April 1992 as part of the break-up of Yugoslavia. About 100,000 people were killed and nearly half the population forced from their homes in four years of fighting. Red chairs have filled the street in Sarajevo where the conflict began - 11,541, one for each victim there. People have been putting flowers on some of the chairs. A teddy bear, toys and schoolbooks were placed on the smaller ones that symbolise the hundreds of children killed during the four-year long siege by Serb forces. Sarajevans were asked to stop what they were doing at 12:00 GMT for an hour to mark the start of the conflict. Tearful memories Thousands of people have been walking past the

Shan State Army-North officials sit alongside leaders of the Shan State Army south in the latter headquarters of Loi Taileng (Joseph Allchin) The Shan State Army-North (SSA-N) has agreed to hold union-level peace talks with the government to solidify an initial truce made in January. The group has agreed to embrace a federal union based on the historic Panglong agreement, which was led by independence hero General Aung San and brought together Shan, Chin and Kachin leaders to discuss autonomy in 1947. “We haven’t set the time yet but we assume the government will propose a date,” said spokesperson Sai La. Continued clashes between rebels and government forces have been reported since the initial truce was signed in January. Sai La said this could be due to miscommunication between military commanders and troops at the frontline. He added that the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) – the political front of the SSA-N – intended to pursue democratic means to secure political ag

Reuters 4:21 a.m. CDT, April 6, 2012 (Reuters) - Myanmar's government has been in talks with more than a dozen ethnic minority rebel groups and political organizations as part of moves towards "everlasting peace" after decades of on-off conflict in its troubled border regions. Western governments have made the end of fighting a condition for lifting sanctions. Preliminary ceasefire agreements had been reached with most groups, but battles still rage between the military and Kachin rebels near the northern border with China. Ads by Google President Thein Sein has outlined a three-stage plan for talks with the 16 groups that responded to his call for dialogue in August 2011: ceasefire, political talks and resettlement of refugees, then a special session of parliament to cement long-term agreements. Below are details of the talks by state, according to a document provided to Reuters by the government's Union Level Peace-Making Group, which is split into two ne

4 April 2012 Aung San Suu Kyi's victory in the Burmese by-elections set off celebrations and more predictions of a proper transition to democracy. But in the state of Kachin, in northern Burma, the elections didn't happen - cancelled on security grounds because of a continuing war between government forces and ethnic Kachin rebels. Within Burma, neither aid agencies nor journalists are normally allowed into the region but reporter Sue Lloyd Roberts and cameraman Tony Joliffe managed to gain access to report for Newsnight. Source http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17613247

Saif al-Islam, the son of deceased dictator Muammar Gaddafi, has been attacked in detention in Libya, an International Criminal Court lawyer said Thursday. Saif is wanted by the court on charges of crimes against humanity. By News Wires (text) AFP - Seif al-Islam, the son of slain Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, has been attacked in detention in Libya, a lawyer from the International Criminal Court said on Thursday. "Kadhafi has been physically attacked," ICC defence official Xavier-Jean Keita said in a statement accusing Libyan authorities of depriving the country's onetime favourite son of his fundamental rights. "He also suffers pain due to the absence of dental treatment," the lawyer said in a statement. Seif al-Islam is wanted on charges of crimes against humanity for his role in trying to put down the uprising to unseat his father in Libya last year. Keita, who is from the ICC's Office of Public Counsel for the Defence (OPCD) and is acting a

LATEST UPDATE: 06/04/2012 - BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - WAR Sarajevo marked on Friday the 20th anniversary of the Bosnian War, a conflict that saw two million displaced and 100,000 killed. The nation still struggles with the legacy of the brutal conflict, with ongoing simmering ethnic tensions. By FRANCE 24 (video) News Wires (text) AFP - More than 11,000 red chairs lined Sarajevo's main avenue on Friday as Bosnians marked the 20th anniversary of the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II with songs and remembrance. Thousands of people gathered as a choir accompanied by a small classical orchestra performed an arrangement of 14 songs, most of them composed during the city's bloody siege. "Why are you not here?" they sang to the 11,541 empty seats on Marshal Tito Avenue, one for each civilian killed in the city during the 1992-95 war. People placed white roses on some of the chairs, while on the smaller seats symbolising the hundreds of children ki

A Romanian teenager who has lived a precarious existence in France since 2005 has made headlines in her adopted country for being recognised as the best achieving apprentice one day, and being granted the right to live here legally the next. Until she was given a gold medal at the French Senate last Thursday, 18-year-old Critsina Dumitru, from a Roma (Gypsy) family, lived under the spectre of being expelled from the country because she didn’t have a “carte de séjour”, a short-term French residency card. And the day after being rewarded for her hard work as dry cleaning apprentice in the western French city of Nantes, her local authority gave her notice that her carte de séjour would be hers within three months. Dumitru, who was “delighted” with her gold medal, said there was little coincidence that her residency permit was granted immediately after the gold medal. “Apart from getting this award there is absolutely nothing different about my situation now from when my applicatio

In the capital of Bamako, Malians dismayed by a Tuareg rebel group's declaration of independence for the country's northern region are ready to fight for unity in their divided West African nation. FRANCE 24's special correspondent reports. By David THOMSON / Eve IRVINE / Khalil BECHIR , FRANCE 24 special correspondents reporting from Mali (video) Leela JACINTO in Bamako, Mali (text) In less than one week, Kalifa Traoré has been forced to abandon his home and flee his beloved city. Now the 46-year-old local assemblyman is in danger of losing the guiding principle that has held his country together for more than 50 years. A native of Mopti, the central Malian city just south of Timbuktu, which fell from government control over the weekend, Traoré fled his hometown for the capital of Bamako on April 3 as rebels advanced southward. For more than half a century, Mali's national motto has proudly proclaimed, "Un peuple, un but, une foi", or "One peo

06/04/2012 Yemeni government troops have killed more than 100 al-Qaeda fighters in the past two days in an offensive against militant hideouts in the country's south, the interior ministry said Thursday. The military has been waging intense battles in the southern Abyan and Lahj provinces to rout the militants. The area has seen heavy fighting in the past week after two subsequent militant attacks on Yemeni army bases. The interior ministry said the air and land offensive has rattled the militants, who are trying to regroup near the sea. The authorities vowed to continue their campaign. The ministry's figure could not be independently confirmed. Earlier figures reported by The Associated Press said nearly 50 militants have been killed in the last few days of fighting in southern Yemen. The statement gave no other details about the offensive and did not mention any casualties sustained by the military. Al-Qaeda and other militant groups have taken advantage of Yemen&

France rejected on Friday the declaration of an independent Tuareg homeland by rebel fighters in northern Mali, and vowed to support the territorial integrity of its former colony. "We consider that the unilateral declaration of independence of 'Azawad' is null and void," foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said, after the Tuareg separatist MNLA force declared an independent homeland. "France and the international community is attached to and defends the unity and territorial integrity of Mali," he said. The African Union also rejected the independence declaration. Valero said France was urging the MNLA to come to a negotiated settlement with the government in Mali that would be "respectful of the constitutional order in Mali and the unity of the country." He also condemned what he said was the "violence and looting" being carried out by two Islamist groups that are reportedly allied to the MNLA, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb

By Soumaila T. Diarra Tuareg rebels have seized Timbuktu and other northern cities in Mali. BAMAKO, Apr 6, 2012 (IPS) - As armed groups have captured Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu, the three largest cities in northern Mali, the differences within the alliance have begun to emerge. There are reports of rape and looting in Gao, while in Timbuktu an Islamist faction, Ansar Dine, has announced the imposition of sharia law. As the leaders of a Mar. 22 coup in the capital, Bamako, considered their response to an ultimatum from the regional bloc ECOWAS to step down, events in the north accelerated with the three largest cities passing into the hands of armed groups. "On the radio, the rebels said they would not harm the civilian population, but they asked women to veil themselves when they go out," Timbuktu resident Badji Maïga told IPS. "They also asked people to welcome them and arrested those they caught looting." The Bamako-based weekly La Nouvelle République reported

The situation is still evolving as fast in northern Mali, but this time there is no question of lightning advances toward Bamako. He would rather the turn of the war, with Tuareg rebels who would fight AQIM (Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb). Just when the Tuareg movement announced (Wednesday night) the "end of military operations"? In reality, this unilateral decision by the MNLA concerns only the advance southward, and then suspends the attacks towards loyalist areas. The lock, from this point of view, would have been Mopti. Precisely, the MNLA has not taken Mopti (except shift), and his troops, having driven or seen fleeing the loyalist troops across Northern Mali (Azawad), is now turning to domestic problems. This is where the problem arises with AQIM, and the forces of another rebel leader, Iyad ag Ghali, who seems opposed to the MNLA and closer to AQIM. The problem is particularly acute in Timbuktu, where all these forces are nested inside each other for two days, but also

By MICHELLE FAUL Map locates distribution of Tuareg peoples http://images.townnews.com/wyomingnews.com/content/articles/2012/04/06/ap/headlines/af_mali_rebellion.jpg Al-Qaida militants and other Islamist fighters are descending on northern Mali in the chaotic aftermath of a military coup, creating a potential haven for terrorists in a part of the Sahara bristling with heavy weapons looted from Libya. Tuareg rebels declared an independent state in the region on Friday amid a power vacuum in the north created by the president's March 21 ouster. The rapidly unfolding events are turning the area, which the Tuaregs now call the Azawad nation, into a magnet for jihadists, much like Afghanistan was when the Taliban took power 15 years ago. Witnesses in northern Mali and those who have fled to neighboring Niger say they have seen fighters from Algeria, Mauritania and Nigeria in the past week. In the late 1990s, terrorism training camps were set up in Afghanistan, where al-Qaida wa

April 6, 2012: In the last year al Shabaab has lost most of the territory it controlled. Currently, they are largely confined to the coast south of Mogadishu to the Kenyan border. The anchor of this control is the port of Kismayo. Desertions, combat losses and difficulty recruiting have left al Shabaab unable to defend all the territory it once claimed (most of central and southern Somalia). With the loss of experienced foreign al Qaeda men and battle losses in Mogadishu and against Sufi militias outside the city and Kenyan troops along the border, al Shabaab simply does not have enough gunmen to cover the large areas of central and southern Somalia that it still insists is theirs. Increasingly, al Shabaab is kidnapping teenagers, including some kids as young as ten. These young men are coerced or encouraged to join al Shabaab. Those that refuse are killed, as an example to the others. These recruits are more likely to surrender or desert, and require more older, and more loyal, al Sh

April 6th The Panamanian-registered bulk carrier 'XIANG HUA the MEN' round by pirates boarded and hijacked all the 28 crew of Chinese nationality in the Gulf of Oman International online news: According to the Xinhua News Agency power, in the afternoon of April 6 Beijing time, China's maritime search and rescue center received a report, the Panamanian-registered bulk carrier 'XIANG HUA the MEN wheel in the Gulf of Oman, has been pirates boarded, boarding the pirate an unknown number of things Fat location in the naval convoy outside the region of about 1,000 nautical miles, according to the shipping company reported a total of 28 crew members on board, all Chinese nationals. China's maritime search and rescue center immediately launched the emergency plan to combat piracy and armed robbery against ships cooperation agreement information sharing center, the International Maritime Organization, the Asian region, the International Maritime Bureau's piracy r

SRINAGAR: Stone-pelting broke out in Baramulla town of north Kashmir soon after hardline Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani addressed a gathering there after Friday prayers, police said. "Such violent incidents after the Geelani's address had taken place at many places last year too," police spokesman said here. The police lifted restrictions on the movement of Syed Geelani only last week when he asked police to allow him to propagate his view point under democratic norms. However, police removed the cops from outside Geelani's house at Hyderpora on airport road last week. According the police spokesman, miscreants turned violent and resorted to stone-pelting on police station, Baramulla after Geelani addressed a gathering in the main town. However, Police exercised maximum restraint while chasing the "miscreants" away, the spokesman said. During his speech, Geelani said that Pakistan should appreciate the aspirations of the Kashmiris

NEW DELHI: Central security agencies are worried over the Odisha government's offer to free 27 prisoners, including eight Maoists, to get an abducted MLA and an Italian national released as they feel it might end up giving a fillip to the Naxals' activities not only in the state but also in surrounding areas. Central paramilitary forces engaged in anti-Maoist operations have noticed that whenever a state government succumbed to the Naxals' pressure and released prisoners or dropped charges against rebels, the episode was used by the ultras to get more recruits - be it in West Bengal in 2009 or in Odisha in 2011. It is no secret that West Bengal virtually become a major hunting ground of the Maoists for almost two years after they successfully got 22 of their women cadres released in swap deal by the then state government in 2009. Rebels had in exchange released abducted police officer Atindranath Dutta but the episode emboldened them to launch more violence. The viol

BHUBANESWAR/NEW DELHI: Attempts to secure the release of Italian national Bosusco Paolo and BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka suffered a setback on Friday with competitive bargaining by two Naxal groups holding them captive complicating the Odisha government's efforts to end the crisis. The Sabyasachi Panda-led group holding Paolo rejected the state government's offer to free four jailed Naxals, including Panda's wife Subashree. In response to demands from both the Panda group as well as the Andhra-Orissa faction holding Hikaka, the government has agreed to release 27 persons, including members of the Naxal-aligned Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangh. Sources said the two Naxal groups are jockeying for legitimacy and control in the Odisha region and this has led to them to up the ante in terms of their demands. While an agreement with Panda appeared on the cards, he has asked for more concessions, perhaps fearing criticism that he was essentially bargaining for the release of his wife. A

France's interior minister has warned the country to be "vigilant" for Islamist extremists who may be seeking revenge for the death of Toulouse serial killer Mohamed Merah. Claude Gueant said authorities had observed an increased "desire" and "enthusiasm" among such groups to avenge the death of the man suspected of killing three Jewish children, a rabbi, and three French soldiers in three separate attacks in southern France in March. Merah, a Frenchman of Algerian descent who claimed links to al Qaeda, said he acted to "avenge Palestinian children". He died in a stand-off with police last month. The 23-year-old, who filmed the attacks in Toulouse and Montauban, was shot in the head as he tried to escape capture by special forces after a 32-hour siege at his flat. Mr Gueant, who watched the drama unfold from behind an armoured vehicle at the shootout, has called on communities to be "vigilant and attentive" during an interview

Nearly 1,500 Jordanians demonstrated on Friday across the country to demand the release of 19 detained political activists charged with insulting the king, and also calling for reforms. In the capital Amman, more than 400 Islamists and trade unionists held a sit-in near the University of Jordan to condemn corruption and the detention of the young activists. "The country is being destroyed because reformists are jailed while the corrupt are protected," former MP Ahmad Kafawin of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood told demonstrators who chanted: "The people want to reform the regime." In central Amman, some 300 members of youth movements marched from Al-Husseini mosque to the nearby city hall. "We demand the authorities immediately free the activists. Do they deal with the corrupt the same way they treat those who call for reform?" said Mohammed Harasis, a spokesman for the youth movements. "Our demonstrations to reform the regime are peaceful an

Thousands of people rallied in central Cairo on Friday in support of a Salafist candidate who could be ruled out of Egypt's presidential election because his mother reportedly held U.S. nationality. Under the country's electoral law, all candidates for the presidency, their parents and their wives must have only Egyptian citizenship. "The people want Hazem Abu Ismail! No to manipulation!" the demonstrators shouted after making their way through central Cairo to Tahrir Square, epicenter of last year's revolt which toppled president Hosni Mubarak. The protesters, including women in full Islamic veil, carried portraits of Abu Ismail and waved their fists, angrily condemning any attempt to disqualify their candidate. Abu Ismail launched his candidacy on March 30 with a large motorcade that took him to electoral commission headquarters in Cairo. Commission chief Hatem Begato said on Thursday that the agency had received information according to which Ismail&#

Yemenese Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkol Karman said that Mahatma Gandhi has been an inspiration for Arab youth. "I am proud to be in the country of Mahatma Gandhi, who inspired the peaceful struggle world over and it became Gandhi brand name, Gandhi copyright," Karman said at the fifth memorial lecture of veteran freedom fighter Babu Jagjivan Ram. ''The program of a non violent struggle for change and reform, I would to inform, I would like convey to spread of Mahatma Gandhi the greetings of the Arab spring youth, who were inspired by his struggle and who are proud of their peaceful revolution which attracted the attention of the whole world," Karman added. Karman, 33, an Islamist journalist and rights campaigner, dubbed the "Mother of the Revolution", was an influential figure in the early days of the Yemen's uprising against Saleh last year, and was briefly imprisoned for her involvement in the protests. Urging Arab youth to help form t

India has been pursuing an independent foreign policy based on its national interest, including good tied with Beijing, an influential Chines daily said today, dismissing perception that New Delhi's 'Look East Policy' is aimed at collaborating with US to contain China. "India lately held a trilateral dialogue with the United States and Japan, and it has also close contacts with Vietnam, Myanmar and some other Southeast Asian countries," an article in the state-run People's Daily Online said today on India's Look East policy. "However, it cannot be deemed as collaboration of the United States and India. India has been pursuing the independent foreign policy and mainly considers its own interests," it said The article said "it is hard to imagine that India will completely follow the foreign policies of the United States". "India has an all-round diplomatic policy and it both maintain relations with the United States" and

The founder of a leading pro-Maoist website says Chinese authorities have ordered the site shut down for one month because of critical essays that were posted on it. The move comes amid China's worst high-level political crisis in years, in which a once high-flying official who promoted Mao Zedong era songs and stories was fired. Han Deqiang, founder of the leftist website Utopia, said today that local police officials told the site's manager to shut it down because of content that criticised the Communist Party, its leaders and the upcoming party congress. Han is a vocal supporter of the recently ousted Communist Party secretary of Chongqing, Bo Xilai. Politically minded Chinese saw the removal of Bo as a sign of divisive infighting. Source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/china-shuts-maoist-website-amid-political-scandal/933464/

Tacitly pointing a finger at close ally Pakistan, China on Friday froze assets of six absconding terrorists of a separatist outfit in Xinjiang, the native province of Muslim Uighurs, and called on foreign countries to arrest and hand them over. Chinese police on Friday published a list of six militants, who were stated to be native Uighurs. Without directly naming Pakistan, a statement issued by the Chinese Ministry of Public Security said they had spent some time in “a certain south Asian country”, where they reported to have undergone training in terror attacks, suicide bombings and knife attacks. All six are “core members” of the banned East Turkistan Islamic Movement, (ETIM), it said. “The ministry hoped that foreign governments and their law enforcing departments would help to arrest the six and hand them over to Chinese authorities,” an official of the ministry was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. “The group is the most direct and real threat China faces for its securi