Al-Qaeda leader voices support for Syria uprising
Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has voiced his support for the Syrian uprising in a new video message released on jihadist forums, US website monitors said Sunday.
In the video titled “Onwards, Lions of Syria”, Zawahiri criticised the Syrian regime for crimes against its citizens, and praised those rising up against the government, the SITE Intelligence Group said.
Zawahiri, shown in front of a green curtain in the video released Saturday which runs for over eight minutes, urged Syrians not to rely on the West or Arab governments, whom he said would impose a new regime subservient to the West.
He called on Muslims in Turkey, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon to support the uprising and remove the current regime which he condemned as anti-Islam.
Since March last year, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad s government has carried out a bloody crackdown on an uprising in which more than 6,000 people have been killed.
Arab League foreign ministers will meet on Sunday in Cairo to discuss their next move over the crisis.
Long Al-Qaeda s number two, Zawahiri took over the helm of the group after Osama bin Laden was killed in May 2011 during a US special forces night raid deep in Pakistan.
The video is the latest of a number in which the militant chief has attempted to seize on the “Arab Spring” revolutions.
Al-Qaeda has been absent from the popular protests that swept the Arab world last year, leading to the fall of leaders in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia and provoking major unrest elsewhere.
Analysts argue that the phenomenon has left the global terror outfit weakened and increasingly irrelevant.
The United States said last year that it believed Zawahiri, who has been in hiding since the United States declared a “war on terror” after the September 11, 2001 attacks, was still in Pakistan.
Tri-Series: Hussey, Forrest lift Australia to 269
Half-centuries for David Hussey and debutant Peter Forrest helped Australia make 269 for eight from their 50 overs in the tri-series one-day international against India in Adelaide Sunday.
India controversially rested champion batsman Sachin Tendulkar under their rotation policy, denying the 38-year-old another chance to score his long-awaited 100th international century.
Forrest and Hussey put on 98 for the fourth wicket to vindicate captain Michael Clarke s decision to bat after winning the toss.
Forrest, 26, promoted for his one-day international debut, impressed in making 66 from 83 balls, including two sixes, while Hussey contributed 72 from 76 deliveries.
The Indians made a promising start, with former Australian captain Ricky Ponting falling cheaply in an unusual role as opener, caught at point by Virat Kohli from the bowling of Ranganath Vinay Kumar for six.
The dangerous David Warner was run out for 18, while Michael Clarke looked in good touch before being fooled by a slower delivery from Umesh Yadav and dragging the ball onto his stumps for 38.
Yadav was the best of the Indian bowlers, picking up two wickets at a cost of 49 runs from his 10 overs.
Israeli airstrike kills Palestinian in Gaza
A Palestinian in Gaza died early Sunday after being wounded in a series of retaliatory Israeli airstrikes, Gaza medical sources said.
The fatality was identified as Abdel Karim Zatuniya, an elderly man serving as a guard at the barracks in the Zeitun area, south-east of Gaza city, who was wounded in an airstrike late Saturday night in which four other people were wounded. No militant faction in Gaza announced Zatuniya a member.
Three other Saturday night airstrikes — near the Karni crossing east of Gaza city, east of Khan Younis and at an empty house in Rafah — resulted in no further casualties.
The Israeli military confirmed launching the strikes, and in a statement early Sunday said its aircraft “targeted a terror tunnel and a weapon manufacturing facility in the northern Gaza Strip, a terror tunnel in the central Gaza Strip and an additional terror tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip,” noting direct hits.
“These sites were targeted in response to the rocket fire on communities in southern Israel,” the statement read, noting that a Friday night rocket from Gaza that struck between two houses in the Hof Ashkelon area had lightly injured an Israeli woman.
Earlier Saturday night, a rocket fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel causing no casualties or damage, an Israeli police spokesman said.
“A rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip at the Eshkol region. It landed in an open area without causing any damage or injuries,” Micky Rosenfeld told AFP.
Speaking in Tehran on Saturday, Hamas prime minister of Gaza Ismail Haniya reiterated his movement s long-held stance it “will never recognise Israel,” as Palestinian efforts to form a temporary unity government headed by Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas continue.
Israel rejects efforts by Hamas to link up with Fatah, and views Hamas as a terrorist organisation and Iran as its sponsor and weapon supplier.
“The resistance will continue until all Palestinian land, including Al-Quds (Jerusalem), has been liberated and all the refugees have returned,” Haniya said.
Defence of Pakistan Conference begins in Karachi
DPC is holding conference against US drone attacks, NATO aggression and MFN status to India.
Fool-proof security arrangements have been made for the conference as heavy contingents of police have been deputed along with volunteers of different religious parties for the security.
A large participation of people from all walks of life will attend the conference.
Maulana Samiul Haq, hameed Gul, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, Allama Ahmad Ludhanvi, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Munawar Hassan will address the conference.
Anand Sharma heads for Pakistan to boost trade ties
The largest Indian business delegation to Pakistan, consisting of some 150 members and led by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, will take part in a series of events, including an “India Show” in Lahore, over four days starting Monday.
Co-hosted by the two leading Indian business chambers, the event will mark the first visit of an Indian trade minister to Pakistan in 30 years in an exercise aimed at ramping bilateral trade to $10 billion in three years.
The delegation includes some top names from India s corporate world, including Rajan Bharti Mittal, vice chairman and managing director, Bharti Enterprises; Sunil Kant Munjal, chairman, Hero Corporate Services; K K Modi, chairman, Modi Enterprises; Harsh Pati Singhania, managing director, JK Paper; Naresh Goyal, chairman, Jet Airways; Jyotsna Suri, chairperson and managing director, Bharat Hotels; and Arun Nanda, chairman, Mahindra Holidays and Resorts.
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) president R. V. Kanoria and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) president B. Muthuraman will lead the delegations of their respective chambers.
The delegations will visit Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad for close interaction with Pakistani CEOs and officials in what is being described as a “landmark initiative” for removing the barriers so that the volume of two-way trade reaches its potential of $10 billion in the next three years.
“Any delegation to Pakistan goes beyond business and trade. It will help deepen overall ties and improve people-to-people contact between the two countries,” said FICCI president Kanoria, who is also chairman of Kanoria Chemicals and Industries.
Kanoria said besides senior officials, chief executives of over 100 companies would visit Pakistan to explore business opportunities. “There will be a lot of participation from small and medium enterprises as well,” he said.
Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar, chairman and managing director of India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) Rita Menon and senior officials from the department of customs and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will also be part of the delegation that will visit Pakistan Feb 13-16.
The delegation will have a series of meetings with business leaders and government officials of Pakistan, including Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim.
Bilateral trade between India and Pakistan was recorded at $2.7 billion in 2010-11. Trade balance is heavily in favour of India with its exports at $2.3 billion and imports from Pakistan at $332 million.
Major items of export from India to Pakistan are sugar, cotton, man-made filaments and chemicals, while its top imports from Pakistan include edible fruit, mineral fuels, and organic chemicals.
“The trade potential between our two countries is very high and based on strong fundamental complementarities. One step of opening up of the Wagah border for all tradeable items would double bilateral trade,” said Chandrajit Banerjee, director general, CII.
Heavy snowfall in Murree
Met office has advised the tourists not to visit Murree today as more snowfall in expected.
During last 24 hours widespread rain/snow occurred in different parts of the country.
The Met officials predicted that fresh wave of snowfall will be continued for next two day. The lowest temperature during last 24 hours was recorded in Murree -03C.
Chaman: 5 killed, 1 injured in road mishap
As per details, a car carrying six people was travelling to Quetta from Chaman when a dumper tumbled over it, killing at least five people and severely injuring another.
According to locals, the incident occurred apparently due to bad weather and slippery on the road caused by snowfall.
New Maldives President expands cabinet
The new president of the Maldives is expanding his Cabinet to strengthen the coalition government ruling the Indian Ocean nation.
A presidential spokesman says six members from four political parties will be sworn in Sunday as ministers in the government led by President Mohammed Waheed Hassan.
Former president Mohamed Nasheed’s Maldivian Democratic Party, however, has not responded to an invitation to join the Cabinet.
The Maldives has been rocked by political turmoil for nearly a week, since Nasheed resigned and was replaced by his vice president. Nasheed claims he was ousted in a coup, a charge the new president denies.
A senior U.S. diplomat who met with Maldivian leaders on Saturday said the Maldives wasn’t ready for early elections as a way out of its political crisi
Malaysia deports Saudi journalist accused of blasphemy
Malaysia has deported a young Saudi journalist who is wanted in his home country over Twitter posts about the Prophet Mohammad that sparked calls for his execution, an official told the AFP news agency.
Hamza Kashgari, who was detained in Malaysia on Thursday after fleeing Saudi Arabia, left the country in the custody of Saudi officials on Sunday, according to a Malaysian government official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.
Kashgari, a 23-year-old newspaper columnist, fled to Muslim-majority Malaysia after making comments on the microblogging site deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed, which fuelled a surge of outrage in the kingdom.
Insulting the prophet is considered blasphemous in Islam and is a crime punishable by death in Saudi Arabia.
Malaysia s government would not immediately confirm Hamza s deportation, but a Home Ministry statement on Sunday said Kashgari would be sent back to Saudi Arabia.
“Malaysia has a long-standing arrangement by which individuals wanted by one country are extradited when detained by the other, and Kashgari will be repatriated under this arrangement,” the statement said.
“The nature of the charges against the individual in this case are a matter for the Saudi Arabian authorities.”
Clerics and locals in the kingdom have called for Kashgari s death for three comments he made on Twitter on the occasion of the Prophet Muhammad s birthday.
“On your birthday, I find you wherever I turn. I will say that I have loved aspects of you, hated others, and could not understand many more,” read one tweet posted on Saturday.
All three tweets were later deleted by Kashgari, who received over 30,000 responses within a day of the postings.
Kashgari, who had originally apologised for his comments, said in an interview he was being made a “scapegoat for a larger conflict” over his comments.
Davis Cup: Australia completes 5-0 whitewash of China
Australia completed a 5-0 whitewash of China in the Davis Cup Sunday with straight sets victories for Chris Guccione and Matthew Ebden.
Guccione downed Wu Di 6-2, 6-4 in a best-of-three rubber and Davis Cup debutant Ebden beat Ma Yanan 6-4, 6-2 in his reverse singles match.
Australia went into Sunday with a tie-winning 3-0 lead after Guccione and Davis Cup veteran Lleyton Hewitt won Saturday s doubles clash with Li Zhe and Zhang Ze — China s best-ranked male player — in straight sets.
Hewitt had already downed Zhang Ze in Friday s opening singles while rising Australian talent Bernard Tomic overcame youngster Wu Di.
Australia now advances to the second round of Asia/Oceania qualifiers, where they will battle South Korea for a place in the World Group playoffs.
