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Showing posts from February 24, 2013

US to move resolution on Lanka during UNHRC session

Mar 2, 2013 Washington/Geneva: The US is set to move a new resolution against Sri Lanka at the current session of the UN Human Rights Council for its alleged war crimes, asking the country to promote reconciliation and accountability. “The resolution will ask the Government of Sri Lanka to follow through on its own commitments to its people, including implementing the constructive recommendations from the report by Sri Lanka’s Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission,” State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters on Friday. Reuters The US had introduced a similar resolution last year. “It will build on the 2012 resolution, which called on Sri Lanka to do more to promote reconciliation and accountability,” he said. Meanwhile, the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon in Geneva told reporters that he has consistently underlined the critical importance of addressing accountability in Sri Lanka through a genuine and comprehensive national process achie

Philippines president calls for surrender after standoff turns deadly

A Malaysian policemen mans a security check in the areas where suspected Philippine militants are located in Borneo on Monday. (CNN) -- Philippine President Benigno Aquino III ordered a group of Muslim rebels to surrender Saturday after an ongoing standoff led to bloodshed. "From the very start, our objective has been to avoid the loss of lives and the shedding of blood," Aquino said in a statement Saturday. "If you have grievances, the path you chose was wrong. The just, and indeed, the only correct thing for you to do is to surrender." The peculiar standoff, which started in February on Borneo between Malaysian security forces and a group of men from the southern Philippines, has its roots in a recent landmark peace deal between Manila and Muslim rebels, according to experts on the region. More than 100 men from the mainly Muslim southern Philippines came ashore in the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo, demanding to be recognized as representatives of a s

Militants gun down two policemen in Kashmir

Two constables were shot dead by militants at Handwara in the border district of Kupwara in north Kashmir on Saturday. Authoritative sources told The Hindu that two to three militants opened fire on constables Satish and Azad Chand of J&K Armed Police 13th battalion, who were attached to Indian Reserve Police 16th battalion and were on routine law and order duty, at Handwara town at 11.10 am. Both of them sustained critical injuries. They were evacuated and rushed to the hospital for medical treatment. Sources said that both the constables succumbed to injuries. However, a formal confirmation from police was expected in a while, as senior police officials, including Inspector-General of Police, Kashmir Zone, Shiv Murari Sahai and DIG North Kashmir, Rajesh Kumar, were reportedly rushing to the spot in Handwara. This is after a long spell of calm and peace that militants have successfully carried out a strike and gunned down two policemen in Handwara. It was not immediately cl

Pakistan issues list of 109 'most wanted' terrorists

Press Trust of India | Updated: March 01, 2013 08:43 IST Islamabad: Pakistani authorities on Friday issued a list of 109 "most wanted" terrorists, including Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) member Mati-ur-Rehman who was accused of involvement in a suicide attack on former premier Shaukat Aziz. The list, made public on the website of Punjab Police, includes 28 members of the banned LeJ, which claimed responsibility for two recent attacks on Shias in Quetta city that killed nearly 200 people, and 34 members of various factions of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. Mati-ur-Rehman, who carries a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head, was accused of involvement in a 2004 suicide attack on former premier Aziz and a 2002 suicide car bomb attack outside the Sheraton Hotel in Karachi that killed 11 French engineers working on a submarine programme of the Pakistan Navy. The list of wanted terrorists includes Mansoor alias Chotta Ibrahim, who was accused of involvement in a suicide attack on for

Death toll in Bangladesh war crimes clashes rises to 53

Agence France-Presse | Updated: March 01, 2013 18:30 IST Dhaka: The number of people killed in clashes in Bangladesh over the conviction of Islamist leaders for war crimes rose to 53 on Friday, as fresh outbursts of violence erupted. Two people were killed after hundreds of pro-government supporters and followers of the rival Jamaat-e-Islami party fought with sticks in two northern districts of Gaibandha and Chapainawabganj, police chiefs told sources. Police also fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse Jamaat protesters in the capital Dhaka, after they tried to launch marches following weekly prayers, leaving several people injured, police said. On Thursday, violence flared across the country after Jamaat's vice president was sentenced to death for murder, religious persecution and rape during the 1971 independence war. Firebrand preacher Delwar Hossain Sayedee, 73, was the third person to be convicted by a war crimes tribunal whose verdicts have been met by outr

Andhra gets chopper to monitor activities of Maoist extremists

HYDERABAD - The Andhra Pradesh police, following its success in stamping out ultra left extremism from the state, has been asked to head the unified command for anti-Maoist operations. And for the first time, the state police will be using a helicopter for anti-Maoist operations within the state as also in neighbouring Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. The union home ministry has provided the chopper to the state police for exclusive use of monitoring the activities of extremists in the region. The new copter will be used for keeping a close eye on the movement of Naxalites within the state and also in neighbouring Gadchirowli district of Maharashtra, Bijapur of Chattisgarh and Godavari and Pranahitha regions. State Director-General of Police (DGP) V Dinesh Reddy launched the unified command operations at Mahadevpur in Karimnagar district and conducted an aerial survey of the forest area along with a team of senior officers. After conducting the survey, the DGP said that the special

Kazakhs discuss fighting extremism

Staff Report 2013-02-28 ASTANA – Kazakhstani officials February 26-27 discussed ways to fight violent extremism and terrorism, the OSCE said in a statement. The OSCE Centre in Astana co-organised the seminar with the General Prosecutor's Office Institute, British embassy and the NGO Astana Centre Consulting. More than 50 Kazakhstani law enforcement and local government officials discussed "the prevention of violent extremism and terrorism, as well as the identification of factors which lead to radicalism and intolerance in society," the OSCE said. They also discussed co-ordinating efforts by law enforcement, other government agencies and civil society to thwart violent extremism and terrorism. Source http://centralasiaonline.com/en_GB/articles/caii/newsbriefs/2013/02/28/newsbrief-16

Western rights activists concerned about 'double bind' on Muslim extremism

LONDON — Religion today often crosses into the public sphere, becoming a battering ram for extremist politics across the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. In the case of Islam in particular, declares veteran feminist and human rights activist Gita Sahgal, Western liberals find themselves in a double bind: "In a period of right-wing attacks on Muslims … how does one respond to human rights violations by the Muslim Right without feeding hate campaigns?" This is not a small question and it is posed at the beginning of a new book, “Double Bind: The Muslim Right, the Anglo-American Left, and Universal Human Rights.” Written by American author Meredith Tax, “Double Bind” is the first project of the Centre for Secular Space, an organization that Sahgal recently founded in London. Sahgal says she is not fighting religion. "I think there are two essential rights,” she says. “There is the right to religious freedom and belief and there is the right to

ECOWAS Adopts Anti-Terrorism Strategic Plan

Friday, 01 March 2013 15:05 President John Mahama has returned home from Yamoussoukro, Cote d' Ivoire where he participated in the 42nd Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Heads of States and Government. The two-day summit reviewed on-going efforts to restore peace, democracy and political stability to Mali and Guinea Bissau. Speaking on his from the summit, President John Dramani Mahama disclosed that heads of state present were concerned with acts of terrorism against individual countries in the sub-region. “And so we had an ECOWAS Anti-Terrorism Strategy Plan that was put before the heads of state and was accepted. It defines what terrorism is in common language and then what strategies we must adopt in terms of combating terrorism,” he told journalists in Accra yesterday. President Mahama warned last week that there could be a backlash of Ghana’s effort in sending troops to help re-build northern Mali. Meanwhile Ivorian President, Alhassan Quattara has been retained as

Ireland: Suspect in Terrorism Case Faces Extradition to U.S.

The United States government has petitioned the Irish High Court to extradite an Algerian man living in Ireland on terrorism charges relating to a plot to assassinate a Swedish artist, officials said Thursday. The United States alleges that the man, Ali Charaf Damache, planned to set up terrorist training camps and kill several Europeans, including a Swedish artist, Lars Vilks, whose sketch of the Prophet Muhammad’s head on a dog, published in 2007, had enraged the Islamic world. On Wednesday, Mr. Damache pleaded guilty in the Waterford Circuit Court to making a menacing phone call to an American peace activist, a charge for which he was arrested and detained in 2010. The judge sentenced him to time served and released him, but Mr. Damache was immediately rearrested on the American extradition warrant. Mr. Damache arrived in Ireland in 2000 and married an Irish woman in 2002. The relationship ended in 2008 and he then married an American citizen, Jamie Paulin Ramirez. Ms. Ramirez has

Ireland: Suspect in Terrorism Case Faces Extradition to U.S.

The United States government has petitioned the Irish High Court to extradite an Algerian man living in Ireland on terrorism charges relating to a plot to assassinate a Swedish artist, officials said Thursday. The United States alleges that the man, Ali Charaf Damache, planned to set up terrorist training camps and kill several Europeans, including a Swedish artist, Lars Vilks, whose sketch of the Prophet Muhammad’s head on a dog, published in 2007, had enraged the Islamic world. On Wednesday, Mr. Damache pleaded guilty in the Waterford Circuit Court to making a menacing phone call to an American peace activist, a charge for which he was arrested and detained in 2010. The judge sentenced him to time served and released him, but Mr. Damache was immediately rearrested on the American extradition warrant. Mr. Damache arrived in Ireland in 2000 and married an Irish woman in 2002. The relationship ended in 2008 and he then married an American citizen, Jamie Paulin Ramirez. Ms. Ramirez has

Guns kill more people. So why does terrorism get all the attention?

Tom Diaz is a former senior policy analyst at the Violence Policy Center and the author of “The Last Gun: How Changes in the Gun Industry Are Killing Americans and What It Will Take to Stop It.” The next time you play airport security theater — remove shoes, display laptop, toss water bottle —think of the children at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Think of the moviegoers in Aurora, Colo., the citizens in Tucson peaceably assembled to meet with Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the worshippers at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., and Hadiya Pendleton, the 15-year-old Chicago girl killed by gunfire days after coming to Washington with her high school band for President Obama’s second inauguration. “Unfortunately, what happened to Hadiya is not unique,” Obama said in Chicago on Feb. 15. “It’s not unique to Chicago. It’s not unique to this country. Too many of our children are being taken away from us.” These victims were casualties of domestic battles. Most died from wounds inflicted by milit

Counter-terrorism raids: Three teenagers arrested in Loughborough

Counter-terrorism officers arrested three teenagers in a series of morning raids in Loughborough. Officers from the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, in Manchester, teamed up with Leicestershire officers to carry out the swoops. Officers from the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, in Manchester, teamed up with Leicestershire officers to carry out the swoops Loughborough police commander Inspector Johnny Monks said: "We received some information and fed it to the counter terrorism unit at Greater Manchester Police. "They took charge of the operation but we assisted them on the ground. Come & Try our Delicious Menu with an Amazing 15% off all Food Bills On A La Carte Menu Only بوفيه مفتوح - مطبخ لبناني Terms: SATURDAY NIGHT Live Belly Dancer Contact: 0116 2169184 Valid until: Saturday, March 02 2013 "This was low-level activity and the local community has nothing to fear." The raids took place on Thursday, February 21, and Thursday, Februar

Africa: The Taliban of Timbuktu

The war in Mali is not just about preventing terrorism; it's a fight to defend a secular, tolerant society Before the recent French intervention in Mali began, 412,000 people had already left their homes in the country's north, fleeing torture, summary executions, recruitment of child soldiers and sexual violence against women at the hands of fundamentalist militants. Late last year, in Algeria and southern Mali, I interviewed dozens of Malians from the north, including many who had recently fled. Their testimonies confirmed the horrors that radical Islamists, self-proclaimed warriors of God, have inflicted on their communities. First, the fundamentalists banned music in a country with one of the richest musical traditions in the world. Last July, they stoned an unmarried couple for adultery. The woman, a mother of two, had been buried up to her waist in a hole before a group of men pelted her to death with rocks. And in October the Islamist occupiers began compiling lists

Ethiopia: In Unusual Rebuke, Saudi Arabia Accuses Ethiopia of Posing Threats to Sudan and Egypt

Khartoum — A senior Saudi Arabian official unleashed a barrage of attack against Ethiopia saying that the Horn of Africa nation is posing a threat to the Nile water rights of Egypt and Sudan. "The [Grand] Renaissance dam has its capacity of flood waters reaching more than 70 billion cubic meters of water, and is located at an altitude of 700 meters and if it collapsed then Khartoum will drown completely and the impact will even reach the Aswan Dam," the Saudi deputy defense minister Khalid Bin Sultan said at the meetings of the Arab Water Council in Cairo. "Egypt is the most affected party from the Ethiopian Renaissance dam because they have no alternative water source compared to other Nile Basin countries and the establishment of the dam 12 kilometers from the Sudanese border is for political plotting rather than for economic gain and constitutes a threat to Egyptian and Sudanese national security "the Saudi official said. The massive $4.8 billion dam is un

Nigeria: Ex-Militants - Why We Rescued Kidnapped Foreigners

Former leaders of militant camps in the Niger Delta have said they decided to be involved in the rescue of six foreigners who were kidnapped in Bayelsa State last week because of the negative impact the crime was having on the people of the area. The ex-militants, under the aegis of Leadership Forum for Peace in the Niger Delta, also noted that the Federal Government had shown enough commitment to develop the region and was implementing the amnesty programme successfully, adding that there was no justification for the kidnap of innocent people who were in the country to work towards its development. This came as the former militants called on the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, to expose those he termed traitors within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum. President of the Leadership Forum for Peace in the Niger Delta, Reuben Wilson, who addressed journalists in Port Harcourt yesterday, also warned youths in the region against further involvement in the

Human rights must be at the heart of future development agenda, UN panel told

United Nations News Centre 1 March 2013 – Human rights are vital for achieving the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which world leaders have pledged to attain by 2015, and must figure prominently in any development agenda beyond that date, a high-level United Nations panel held in Geneva heard today. “Human rights are part of the DNA of the United Nations and the birthright of every human being. Every member of the human family has a right to grow and develop their full potential in a secure and sustainable environment,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his remarks to the panel, held at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. “As we know from long experience,” he stated, “peace, development and human rights are inextricably linked. Human rights are essential for achieving the Millennium Development Goals and advancing sustainable development.” The eight MDGs, agreed at a UN summit in 2000, set specific targets on poverty alleviation, educa

Africa: With Ethnic Tensions Rising Worldwide, UN Adviser Urges Action to Prevent Mass Atrocities

The number of situations around the world that clearly indicate a risk of mass atrocities has possibly never been higher, demanding urgent preventive action, the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide said today. "We recognize the signs, we sound the alarm, but yet abuses continue to be committed and populations suffer the consequences," Adama Dieng told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Addressing the 47-member body's current session, Mr. Dieng said that genocide, unfortunately, is not a crime that has been relegated to the past. "Despite the tragedy of the Holocaust, the killing fields of Cambodia, the genocides in Rwanda and Srebrenica and many other incidents of massive human rights violations, we still seem not to have learned our lesson," he stated. "In the face of the atrocities that are being committed still today, and our failure to prevent or halt their escalation, we must conclude that we have failed to fulfil

Rights groups put pressure on Myanmar

PARIS, March 1 (UPI) -- Reforms undertaken by the government of Myanmar haven't translated into real improvements for its citizens, human rights groups said. Myanmar, known formerly as Burma, embarked on political transformation to civilian rule starting with general elections in 2010. The International Federation for Human Rights, known by its French initials FIDH, and member organization Altsean-Burma said that, despite reforms, the country remains mired in corruption and impunity. "The implementation of reforms remains limited and inconsistent throughout the country," the groups stated. Similar concerns have been expressed by U.N. officials, who said that while political progress was welcomed, Myanmar wasn't doing enough to stem internal conflicts. FIDH added that authorities are restricting the right to peaceful assembly, pointing to the alleged use of white phosphorus on monks and civilians protesting in November over mining developments. The rights

Suicide bombs kill civilian at Somali beach restaurant

By Feisal Omar MOGADISHU | Fri Mar 1, 2013 3:49pm GMT (Reuters) - Suicide bombers killed a civilian at a beach front restaurant in the Somali capital on Friday, officials said, underscoring how fragile security remains 18 months after African troops drove Islamist militants out of the city. Ali Abdi, a waiter at Mogadishu's Indian Ocean restaurant, said one bomber wearing a vest laden with explosives walked inside and blew himself up moments before a car bomb exploded a few metres away. "I see blood and human flesh all over the walls and floor. Chairs and tables litter the area," Abdi told Reuters. The Friday crowds at the Lido beach, where a row of blown-out colonial villas are a stark reminder of two decades of civil strife, have come to symbolise Mogadishu's rebound following the expulsion of the al Qaeda linked militants. But the city remains plagued by bomb attacks and assassinations and the central government depends heavily on an 17,600-strong Afric

HC orders Rs 5 lk from PM's Relief Fund to blast victim's kin

Kochi: Kerala High Court Friday directed payment of Rs five lakh from the Prime Minister's Relief Fund and Rs one lakh from the chief minister's relief fund to the wife of a man who was killed in a bomb blast in Saudi Arabia in 1985. The direction was issued by justice B P Ray on a plea for compensation by Margaret D'cruz, wife of the deceased, Wilfred D'cruz. The Saudi Government had refused to pay compensation as the death was caused due to bomb blast. The union government had also rejected the plea of compensation following which the petitioner moved the court for Rs 10 lakh compensation from the Ministries of External Affairs and Overseas Indian Affairs. When the matter came up for consideration, the court sought the opinion of government for granting compensation. After due deliberations at higher levels, the central government informed the court that they were prepared to grant compensation. Source http://english.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.d

A pipe bomb has exploded in east Belfast.

28 February 2013 Pipe Bomb Blast In East Belfast The explosion went off at an empty house in Kenilworth Place, off the Newtownards Road, at around 8.30pm last night. Community worker Jim Wilson told the BBC: "It's just another fact of living in an interface that these things happen. "But they were pretty angry that an individual house had been selected, for whatever reason, for someone to plant a device like that, because my young grandson lives three or four doors down and there's young children play in this area on a regular basis. "If that had exploded if any of them children were about... God knows what would have happened." Ulster Unionist MLA Michael Copeland said: "This is unnerving, particularly for children. It does spook people. It adds to the general feeling that things are not all the way they should be." Source http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=159204#

Car bomb blast kills at least nine in Iraq capital - police

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A car bomb explosion in a Shi'ite neighbourhood of the Iraqi capital Baghdad killed at least nine people on Thursday, police sources said. A further 16 people were wounded in the blast, which took place near a restaurant in the southern Shula district of Baghdad. (Reporting by Kareem Raheem; Writing by Isabel Coles; Editing by Alison Williams) Source http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/wire-news/car-bomb-blast-kills-at-least-nineiraq-capital-police_832373.html

1 killed, 30 injured in car bomb blast in central Syria

Xinhua | 2013-2-28 20:34:39 A booby-trapped car went off Thursday near a compound in the country's central province of Homs, leaving one person killed and 30 others injured, local media said. The blast hit an area close to a residential compound in the Ekrima district in Homs, the report said, adding that at least one person was killed and 30 others wounded. Another pro-government media said that the blast at Ekrima was caused by two explosive-laded cars. Violence has intensified in Syria recently in what some observers described as the escalation before pacification that is expected after the international community declared support to the political solution to Syria's long-standing conflict. A recent UN tally placed the overall death toll of Syria's 23- month conflict at more than 70,000. Source http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/764998.shtml

Thailand signs landmark peace deal with Muslim rebels -

Kuala Lumpur: Thailand on Thursday signed a historic deal with Muslim rebels active in the country's restive south, agreeing to hold talks in a bid to end the nine-year insurgency that has claimed over 5,000 lives. The deal, brokered by Malaysia, was signed here between Thai authorities and the militant Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN), one of several groups operating in Thailand. Malaysia has been acting as a facilitator for the negotiations between the Thai government and the Muslim rebels. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the deal after talks with visiting Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Yingluck said Thailand "wished to see a lasting solution in the southern border provinces", where the nine-year revolt by a number of shadowy groups has claimed over 5,500 lives. "We need to move forward as soon as possible," she told reporters here. There has been a recent spike in attacks along predominantly Buddhist Thai border

Turkish fighter jets hit PKK targets in northern Iraq

ANKARA, Feb. 28 — Turkish military jets shelled on Wednesday night the Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq, destroying several hideouts of the outlawed Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK). As many as 15 F-16 military jets carried out a seven-hour operation late Wednesday, the private Dogan News Agency reported on Thursday. According to the report, the jets launched one of the largest military operations recently against the banned group in Iraq and managed to destroy several bases and antiaircraft weapons of the PKK. The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. The outlawed group took up arms in 1984 in an attempt to create an ethnic homeland in south- eastern Turkey. Since then, over 35,000 people have been killed during conflicts involving the group.  Source: http://www.nzweek.com/world/turkish-fighter-jets-hit-pkk-targets-in-northern-iraq-51802/

Wikileaks case: US military releases documents

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Washington: The US military has released some court documents in the case of an Army private accused of giving classified material to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks . The 84 documents released on Thursday include rulings that were read aloud in court and routine court orders. Bradley Manning. AP The Department of Defence says more documents will be released after they are reviewed and edited as needed. The military has required those seeking documents in the Manning case to file requests using the Freedom of Information Act. WikiLeaks and several journalists and news organisations have filed a lawsuit seeking timely public access to the Manning court documents. That case is pending before the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the military’s highest court. Manning is charged with aiding the enemy, which carries a possible life sentence. Source: http://www.firstpost.com/world/wikileaks-case-us-military-releases-documents-642629.html

Top NPA leader arrested in Bohol

MANILA, Philippines - Combined government security forces on Tuesday arrested in Bohol a top New People’s Army (NPA) leader in Central Visayas. Arrested for illegal possession of firearms was Ruben Nabas, who is also known as Ka Ebyong, Ka Elmer, Ka Padi and Ka Rex in the underground movement. Nabas was arrested by policemen and Army soldiers manning a checkpoint at Barangay Catbigian in Bohol province. Capt. Cresencio Gargar, spokesman of the Philippines Army's 302nd infantry Brigade based in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental, said that Nabas is the overall head of the NPA’s Special Partisan Unit (SPARU) in Central Visayas. Gargar said that Nabas was wth his security aide, Cristituto Lastomen alias Ka Onyot, when he was arrested. Seized from the two suspects were a .45 pistol, a 9mm pistol, P18,200 in cash and several documents of alleged high intelligence value. Nation ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Gargar said that aside from illegal poss

China arrests 5 Tibetans for 'inciting' immolation

Washington: Chinese authorities have arrested five Tibetans, mostly Buddhist monks, for persuading three people to set themselves on fire. The five Tibetans were arrested by police in northwestern Gansu province and included a 21-year-old monk from neighboring Sichuan. According to the official Xinhua News Agency, three of the other Tibetans were identified as local monks. The state media report said the five are accused of recruiting three people and encouraging them to self-immolate in late October and November last year, saying their sacrifices would contribute to the Tibetan cause, ABC News reports. Xinhua said the Tibetans were being instructed by the overseas Tibetan Youth Congress and journalists with the US-government-funded broadcaster, Voice of America. The arrests are the latest in an intensified crackdown on self-immolations by Chinese authorities in tightly controlled Tibetan areas, the report said. In recent months, Tibetans have been arrested fo

PKK leader Öcalan’s letters on way to Kandil, Europe

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BDP deputy Parliamentary Group Chair Pervin Buldan, who visited Öcalan on İmralı island, is thought to be one of the possible couriers for his letters. AA photo Letters written by the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in an effort to lay out certain conditions for the voluntary disarmament of the PKK were sent to their intended recipients in Kandil and Europe on Feb. 27. “The letters will reach their recipients in the coming hours. The letters are gone,” Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) co-leader Selahattin Demirtaş said yesterday after a meeting of the BDP Party Assembly and the Central Executive Board (MYK) at the party’s headquarters. The letters are identical and were written by PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan and handed over to a parliamentarian delegation composed of three BDP deputies on Feb. 23. Sırrı Süreyya Önder, one

China hits backs, alleges US-based hackers attacked its sites

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Beijing: China’s military says overseas computer hackers targeted two of its websites an average of 144,000 times per month last year, with almost two thirds of the attacks originating in the United States. The comments by Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng on Thursday followed accusations last week by an American cybersecurity company that Chinese military-backed cyberspies infiltrated and stole massive amounts of data from US companies and other entities. China denied the allegations and its military said it has never supported any hacking activity. A Chinese People’s Liberation Army soldier stands guard in front of ‘Unit 61398′, a secretive Chinese military unit, in the outskirts of Shanghai. Reuters Geng told reporters at a monthly news conference that an average of 62.9 percent of the attacks on the Defense Ministry’s official website and that of its newspaper, the People’s Liberation Army Daily, came from the US. China says its military cyber-

Three cops injured in Chhattisgarh landmine blast

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3 cops injured in C’garh landmine blast Raipur : Three policemen and a civilian were injured in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday when Maoists triggered a landmine blast targeting their vehicle, an official said. "The Maoist insurgents triggered a landmine blast in morning on Geedam-Barsoor road. The blast targeted the Bolero vehicle of policemen but it exploded in front of it," Himanshu Gupta, inspector general of police, Bastar range, told reporters over phone. It was a major blast but it failed to hit the target and the driver of the private Bolero lost control and the vehicle overturned. Three policemen Manish Parihar, Krishan Kumar Yadav, Vishnu Nag and the vehicle's driver Jogendra Soni sustained injuries in the incident. The injured were taken to a hospital in Dantewada district and their condition was stated to be out of danger. Source: http://post.jagran.com/three-cops-injured-in-chhattisgarh-landmine-blast-1362044372

We are not drug traffickers: FARC

One of the leaders of Colombia’s largest guerrilla group, the FARC, on Feb. 24 said that they are not a drug trafficking organization and though they have entered into peace negotiations with the government, they have not relinquished their aim to "take power."  Rodrigo Granda , considered the FARC's foreign minister, told newspaper El Colombiano that the accusations that the FARC is nothing but a drug trafficking organization "is a shame." Rerring to the four countries that have observed the peace process thus far, he said: "We are not drug traffickers, we are an organization with clear political policy ideas and for this reason the government is obliged to sit down and talk with us. Colombia would not sit down with a group of drug traffickers, Cuba would not sit as a guarantor with a group of drug traffickers, Venezuela and Chile would not sit down with with a group of drug dealers, I don't think Norway has recieved a group of drug traf

British court blocks Sri Lankan Tamil deportations

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London : A group of failed Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers have won the right to stay in the UK after the high court here blocked their deportation scheduled for today. Lawyers for Tamils facing deportation claim the landmark decision applies to all other failed Tamil asylum seekers as well as those in detention, none of whom can be deported pending investigations into their claims that they will be subjected to torture in Sri Lanka. The UK Border Agency, however, stressed that the decision did “not represent a blanket ban on returns to Sri Lanka”. “We are disappointed with the outcome of this hearing and we will appeal,” it added. Human Rights Watch want security force members to be held criminally liable for abuses. Getty Images Human rights groups have maintained that Tamils sent back earlier have been tortured. A Human Rights Watch report released earlier this week had claimed that Sri Lankan security forces were using violence to torture suspected membe

Existing surrender policy unimpressive: DGP

The Jharkhand Police has sought the introduction of a new policy relating to surrendered Maoists and ultras of other splinter groups as the current policy has failed to address certain vital issues. "There is a re-thinking how to make the policy more attractive and the Special Branch is on the job. We have submitted certain proposals, which I can't open now as they are yet to be adopted, and being examined at the highest level," Jharkhand Police chief G S Rath, who retires from the police services today, said here. He said the existing surrender policy has failed to address some vital issues like open jail concept giving the surrendered extremists to stay fearlessly with their families, their speedy trial and imparting vocational training to make them self-sustenance. "Provision for giving land to a surrendered extremist is as per the existing policy is very difficult. Those extremists surrendering and their families residing somewhere else could beco

Colombia govt to blame for coffee strike: FARC

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Colombia 's largest rebel group, the FARC , on Wednesday expressed solidarity with the thousands of coffee growers currently on strike while criticizing the government's neoliberal economic model for  exasperating the problem. "Although the Santos government says that its economic policy is not up for discussion at the [negotiation] table in Havana, the reality is that the Colombian people are contesting [the policy] with the demonstrations, strikes and protests throughout the country," read a statement signed by the FARC's high command. Thousands of Colombian coffee growers on Monday took to the streets in departments all across the country to protest what they perceive is a lack of financial support from the government during this tough time for the industry. President Juan Manuel Santos , himself a former coffee federation official, called the strikes unjust and unnecessary saying his administration had given more financial assistance to t