Syrians show solidarity with compatriots

 Jordan’s Syrian community marked the end of Ramadan on Tuesday (August 30) with a protest and prayers outside their embassy.

Hundreds gathered to pray at the embassy in Amman on the first day of Eid al-Fitr in a show of solidarity with their families back home in Syria. Prayers ended with calls for the ousting of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, after months of anti-government protests and a fierce military crackdown. Those present said Eid was a more sombre occasion this year because of the continued unrest in their home country.

 

“Unfortunately this Eid comes today where our people in Syria are dying. There are more than 3,000 martyrs and hundreds of thousands of detainees, bereaved mothers, and most of the Syrian children have become orphans while before Eid they had their fathers. Our hearts are with them,” said protester.

A Syrian representative said the authorities were pursuing reforms but that they would not allow “terrorism and extremism” to damage the country.

Protesters demand opening of closed health centers in N. Waziristan

Staff Report

MIRANSHAH: Hundreds of tribesmen on Saturday staged a protest against the closure of 180 health centers in North Waziristan.

The participants held a rally in Miranshah, a major city of Waziristan, and blocked the Miranshah-Bannu road for more than two hours.

The tribesmen demanded the provincial government to reopen the health centers immediately as they face difficulties in the area. Trend Pk

Hajj pilgrims in Mina, arriving at Mount Arafat

MECCA: Huge crowds of pilgrims descended on Mina on Sunday for the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

The four-day Islamic pilgrimage is the biggest in the world and draws around 2.5 (m) million worshippers each year.

Pilgrims gathered in their hundreds and thousands in Mina on Sunday, with many crowded in vast white tent camps where worshippers spend the night on the way to the major sites.

Saudi officials said they expect a nearly 20 percent increase in the numbers this year compared to last year.

The Mecca pilgrimage sees Muslim worshippers perform one of Islam’s main pillars, required of every able-bodied Muslim once in their lifetime, as they encircle the Kabaa shrine, pray at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and visit holy sites in Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifa.

They are retracing steps by their Prophet Muhammed and Abraham, who Muslims believe built the

PML-Q protests against inflation in Swat

Staff Report

SWAT: Hundreds of the activists of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid staged a rally against the inflation in the country Friday.

PML-Q workers chanted slogans against the government. They termed rulers as ineligible therefore petroleum products and sugar crisis has surfaced in the country. Trend Pk

Flood victims protest denial of Watan Cards in D. G. Khan

Staff Report

DERA GHAZI KHAN: Hundreds of flood-affected people staged a demonstration in Dera Ghazi Khan against the NADRA for not considering them for Watan Cards.

The protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with anti-NADRA slogans.

They said that floods had devastated their homes and crops, affecting some 6000 people. However, 635 people were issued Watan Cards by the NADRA officials.

The protesters took out a rally from NADRA office to DCO Chowk.

They demanded of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to make arrangements for provision of Watan Cards to all flood victims. SAMAA

India charts out new plan to crush Kashmiris

The Indian forces are out with another dreadful plan to crush the voices of innocent Kashmiris and restore peace in the valley, a foreign news agency reports.
The army, police and paramilitary forces said Wednesday they had formulated a joint strategy to restore peace in the valley where scores of anti-India protesters have been shot dead.
Along with the hundreds of thousand of Kashmiris, the global community is also strongly reacting against the brutalities of the Indian forces. The violent demonstrations, dubbed the Kashmiri intifada by some observers, was triggered in early June by the killing of Tufail Ahmad Matoo, a 17-year-old student, in a stone-pelting clash with policemen in its summer capital, Srinagar. But the protests soon turned into a larger expression of anger, disillusionment and hopelessness over Kashmirs decades-old territorial dispute.
After Mondays incident, a round-the-lock curfew has been clamped on the entire Kashmir valley, crippling normal life. Srinagars streets have the appearance of a war zone. Barbed wire fences have been erected around the city and its deserted roads are littered with the stones and the detritus from the running battles between agitators and policemen. Pockets of gun-wielding security personnel, gathered around small bonfires, are the only visible sign of life.

Federer handed tough French Open mission

PARIS: Rafael Nadal claimed the first victory of the French Open on Friday after defending champion Roger Federer was handed a tricky draw while Serena Williams was on collision course with long-time rival Justine Henin.

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Federer handed tough French Open mission

Workers rally to save sinking textile industry

KARACHI: Mohammad Ahsan is worried.

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Workers rally to save sinking textile industry

Rising demand again rises power shortfall

LAHORE: The electricity shortfall has again been increased up to 2832MW after lowering down to 950MW a week ago due to rising demand by the consumers.

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Rising demand again rises power shortfall

US spy chief quits after intelligence failures

WASHINGTON: After a string of intelligence failures, US spy czar Dennis Blair announced his resignation, ending a 16-month tenure marred by rumblings of infighting in the US clandestine services.

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US spy chief quits after intelligence failures

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