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.
 

Pentagon looking for improved relations with Pakistani military

 

While talking to reporters Tuesday, press secretary of the US Department of Defense, George Little said that “transfer of last three F-16s by US to Pakistan shows that despite setbacks in the bilateral relationship last year, our military-to-military cooperation remains ongoing”. He said that there was no delay in this transfer and final delivery of F-16s was made as it had been originally scheduled.

 

When asked, if the delivery of F-16s to Pakistan was a confidence-building measure by US towards Pakistan in the context of troubled relationship during the last few months, he only said that “we look forward to broadening, expanding, and improving this relationship moving forward with Pakistan”.

 

He refused to comment on the New York Times story that United States was considering the option of apologizing to Pakistan on the November 26 NATO airstrike in Mohmand that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. “I am not going to comment specifically on that report and would leave it there”.

 

He also stepped short of confirming of the visit of the US Central Command (CENTCOM) commander, Gen. James Mattis to Pakistan for a meeting with army chief Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, as some media reports have suggested, and whether the Pakistani officials have given the green signal in this regard.

 

“I do not have any visits to announce today, but we always look forward to meeting our Pakistani counterparts”, George Little observed. It may be mentioned here that US chief of staff Gen. Martin Dempsey had offered to send Gen. Mattis to Pakistan for a briefing on NATO inquiry report, but Pakistani officials turned it down.

 

Reiterating the official position of Pentagon and the US administration on the question of apology to Pakistan, he said the US had already expressed regret. “As you know, in December, we expressed our deepest regret for the killings in the November 25/26 border incident”, George Little recalled.

 

“We expressed our deepest regret to the Government of Pakistan, in fact to the people of Pakistan”, he pointed while stopping short of saying if the US could go on and offer a formal apology. There were also no new updates on the reopening of the NATO supply routes from Pakistan, he suggested.

- Contributed by Awais Saleem, News Trends correspondent in Washington, DC
 

“The Amazing Spider-Man” unveils its latest trailer!

By Sean O’Connell
TrendPK.com: When Sony decided not to air any “Amazing Spider-Man” footage during Sunday’s Super Bowl, fans wondered how long we’d have to wait to get a decent look at footage from the anticipated summer blockbuster.

As it turns out, the wait was much shorter than we anticipated … and that’s a great thing.

The studio on Monday held special screenings in 15 major markets around the globe, teasing a “Spider-Man” sizzle reel that showed off Peter Parker’s sarcastic sense of humor and gave fans their first look at The Lizard, the new villain played by Rhys Ifans.

Couldn’t make it to the invitation-only screenings? No worries. Sony has you covered. They just dropped the latest full trailer for Marc Webb’s “The Amazing Spider-Man.” We have it for you below:

I love it. Love, love, love it. Andrew Garfield nails the wise-ass tone of young Peter. The swinging effects look great. The Lizard could look a little more like the comics, with a pointy snout instead of the rounded head that Ifans seems to be sporting. But Peter’s line, about having to stop Lizard because he helped create him, suggests the “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility” lesson of Stan Lee’s Spider-Man books.

If I had one complaint, it’s that Garfield doesn’t appear to be wearing his mask in the trailer’s final, eye-popping shot of the Oscorp roof collapsing. Why oh why do they keep making Spider-Man take his mask off in the concluding battles?! It was a MAJOR problem with the Raimi films, and Webb didn’t seem to learn the lesson.

The rest, however, looks fantastic. I think they figured out Spider-Man. Again. We’ll find out on July 3, when “The Amazing Spider-Man” opens everywhere in 2D and 3D.

Hollywood News on Twitter for up-to-date news information.

Hollywood News, Hollywood Awards, Awards, Movies, News, Award News, Breaking News, Entertainment News, Movie News, Music News

Radcliffe admits being drunk during "Harry Potter" scenes

LOS ANGELES: Daniel Radcliffe admitted he was drunk while filming some scenes for the “Harry Potter” movies during a period in his life where he was drinking “nightly,” the young star said in an interview.

“I have a very addictive personality. It was a problem. People with problems like that are very adept at hiding it. It was bad. I don’t want to go into details, but I drank a lot and it was daily – I mean nightly,” Radcliffe said to British celebrity news magazine Heat earlier this week.

“I can honestly say I never drank at work on ‘Harry Potter.’ I went into work still drunk, but I never drank at work. I can point to many scenes where I’m just gone. Dead behind the eyes,” the 22-year-old actor said.

The young British star, who was propelled to fame at 11-years-old after being cast to play boy wizard Harry Potter in the movies based on J.K. Rowling’s best-selling novels, discussed his “very busy personality” and also talked about his production-assistant girlfriend, who he said was “a wonderful, wonderful girl, who’s far too good for me.”

“I can also be quite insecure. A lot of actors have self-doubt. I live under that the whole time, and it’s how I function best. I think she puts up with a lot; she says she doesn’t,” said Radcliffe.

The “Harry Potter” star, who has received critical praise for his theater work in the Broadway and West End productions “Equus” and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,”

is currently on the promotional rounds for his film, “The Woman in Black,” out in U.S. theaters on Friday.

Actress Roseanne seeks Green Party presidential nomination

LOS ANGELES: Roseanne Barr is running for president: The actress and comedian has submitted paperwork in hopes of becoming the Green Party’s candidate.

Barr won an Emmy for her sitcom “Roseanne,” which portrayed a blue collar family from 1988 to 1997. She said she would force the news media to focus on working-class Americans.

“I will barnstorm American living rooms,” she said in a candidate questionnaire submitted to the party, according to the AP. “Mainstream media will be unable to ignore me, but more importantly they will be unable to overlook the needs of average Americans in the run-up to the 2012 election.”

It’s unclear how Barr’s political aspirations fit into her hopes to return to scripted television with the upcoming NBC project “Downwardly Mobile.” NBC picked up the pilot last month for the comedy, in which she would play a mobile-home park operator who serves as a surrogate mother to the strapped people who live there.

Barr appeared last year on a one-season Lifetime show about her macadamia farm in Hawaii, “Roseanne’s Nuts.” In an interview with TheWrap about her life on the farm, she said she was not left- or right-wing.

“I am no wing. I am an American,” she said. “I believe in people-ism. Solutions that work for everybody.  I think we should stop dividing ourselves and get food to the hungry and decent food to people all over the world. Clean water. Decent fuel that doesn’t poison us. We’re so smart. We can regenerate limbs with stem cells. We can grow safe and good food and get along.”

She also described the farm as “a utopia based on everything that isn’t bulls—” and “a community where I am queen.”

The Green Party will choose its nominee at its July 12-15 convention in Baltimore. AGENCIES

Scientists catch ‘monster prawn’

WELLINGTON: Scientists have captured a “supergiant” crustacean in waters seven kilometres (4.5 miles) deep off New Zealand, measuring 10 times the normal size of related species.

The “supergiant amphipod”, which resembles a monster prawn, was found during an expedition to the Kermadec Trench north of New Zealand by scientists from the University of Aberdeen and Wellington’s NIWA marine research institute.

Amphipods are normally up to three centimetres (around an inch) long and the University of Aberdeen’s Alan Jamieson said he was stunned to find the 28 centimetre (11 inch) giant when emptying traps on his research vessel’s deck.

“I stopped and thought ‘what on earth is that?’ whilst catching a glimpse of an amphipod far bigger than I ever thought possible,” he said.

“It’s a bit like finding a foot-long cockroach.”

Another amphipod, which was filmed by the expedition but not captured, was an estimated 34 centimetres long.

“It just goes to show that the more you look, the more you find,” NIWA principal scientist Ashley Rowden said.

“For such a large and conspicuous animal to go unnoticed for so long is just testament to how little we know about life in New Zealand’s most deep and unique habitat.”

Supergiant amphipods have been found only once before, in the 1980s. But that was off Hawaii, about 7,000 kilometres (4,500 miles) to the north, and NIWA said it was yet to determine if the latest catch was a new species.

Scientists said they did not know why the deep-sea creatures evolved to such a huge size. AGENCIES

PM Gilani contempt case, an internal issue: US

TrendPK.com
WASHINGTON: The USA said contempt against Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani is an internal matter of the country and that it is hoped all issues will be resolved under law and the Constitution, TrendPK reports Saturday.

This contempt of court case against him (Prime Minister Gilani) is nothing new; also this is an internal matter of Pakistan, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner told reporters during a media briefing here.

Reacting to a query regarding Pak-US relations, he said his country is in persistent contact with Pakistani rulers and in wait for the recommendations by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS).

Despite the circumstances besetting Pakistan and stagnancy in the bilateral relations, the two countries have continued the cooperation, Toner said adding U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter is in consistent contact with the Pak leadership. TrendPK

Abhishek to receive award from Arnold Schwarzenegger

The 4th edition of the Panasonic Green Globe Foundation Awards that takes place at the Taj Palace in Delhi today (February 2) will see Abhishek Bachchan; receive a Green Globe for Outstanding Efforts by a Celebrity for his efforts toward a greener future.

Presenting the award to him will be none other than the Terminator star, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The former Governor of California, who has seen a successful film career will be at the day-long 12th Delhi Sustainable Development Summit presided over by Manmohan Singh and will attend the Green Globe Foundation Awards Ceremony that evening.

The Awards have been instituted as a salutation to the efforts of organizations and individuals fighting climate change through their work in environment preservation and regeneration and is an initiative by Wizcraft International and is partnered by distinguished knowledge partners, including The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) led by Nobel Laureate, Dr. R K Pachauri and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Google Doodle for Pakistan on 14 August – Pakistan Independence Day

For the very first time in the history of Google they have made a Google Doodle for Pakistan on the Independence Day of the country, 14 August. Google has put this Doodle on the Google’s Pakistani Domain Homepage i.e. Google.com.pk, used by almost all Pakistani internet users for searching purposes. Check out the complete details.

The Green Google Doodle represents the true color of Pakistan, created very artistically by the Google Doodle team. The “l” of Google is replaced by “Minar-e-Pakistan” that is the National Tower of Pakistan (Located in Lahore, Pakistan), and the upper half of the “g” is replaced by “A Crescent and a Star” illumination the Doodle, which is a part of Pakistan’s National Flag. And there are small green stars all around the Doodle.

The Independence Day of Pakistan is 14 August , 1947 and now Pakistan has become 64 years old. Happy Birthday Pakistan, may you Live Long. Pakistan Zindabad!

Ekta Kapoor gets detained at the airport

Looks like the Mumbai airport is all set to create history in terms of ‘star-detains’! First, it was Minissha Lamba, which was then followed by Bipasha Basu and Anushka Sharma. And now it was the Czarina of telly land Ekta Kapoor who was questioned by the airport authorities.

Reports have it that, Ekta was carrying undeclared luxury goods to the tune of approximately Rs. one lakh. She got intercepted while she tried to pass through the green channel without declaring her assets. News has it that Ekta, after being detained, claimed innocence and said that she was not aware of the existing laws. She was finally permitted to leave after being fined approximately Rs. 50,000 by the Customs Department.

Next Page »