5 more schools dynamited, govt claims turn out nine days’ wonder

Ignorant Taliban and ignorant Mullahs Violently Campaigns Against Girls' Education in Northwest Pakistan
MINGORA: Local Taliban destroyed five more schools whereas more than three lakh children below the age of five will miss immunisation this year in Swat because of the ongoing fighting.
'Militants blew up one girls' school and four boys schools including Government High School Bunr, Primary School Bunr, High School Angro Dheri, Primary School Angro Dheri and Girls High School Tahir Abad. Schools are closed for a winter break and no one was hurt in the attacks.
Up till now militants had destroyed 170 schools in the valley where about 55,000 girls and boys were enrolled in government-run institutions, sources said.
Information Minister Sherry Rehman told reporters on Sunday the government aimed to ensure that schools in Swat would reopen on March 1, when they are due to go back after the winter break. But that would seem like wishful thinking because teachers were also refusing to work.
"We are stiff scared. We doubt the government's ability to protect us," a teacher said.
Provincial Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain vowed action against the militants.
"They're out of control," Iftikhar told reporters.
"In the past, when we took action against them, we were criticised ... Now people realise that they're cruel and they want us to go after them and we'll do it."
The president of a Swat teachers' association said his members would only go back to work if the government brought complete peace and shut down the militants' radio, or if the militants issued an order over their radio for a return to work.
'If they're destroying schools during a curfew, they can do anything. Even if the authorities announce schools are open, nobody will go and parents won't send their kids.
About 365,000 children aged under five in Swat valley would miss immunisation against polio this year and there is likelihood of more polio cases in the area.
Informed sources in the health department said that the district administration of Swat was not willing to launch a vaccination campaign because of security concerns.
Meanwhile, management of Judicial Complex Mingora again received a call from an unknown person threatening that the complex would be targeted within an hour. The call proved to be a scare only, since the bomb disposal squad scanned the building and found no explosives; however, nearby offices and banks were closed and people faced a lot of difficulties.
Separately, unidentified miscreants torched a house of Hamid Gul in Madyn area. No casualties were reported in the incident.
Curfew remained clamped on Khwazakhela road for fifth consecutive day.
Electricity remained cut off to different parts of Mingora due to fire broke out in Pesco's main grid station in Swat.
Fire brigade men rushed to the site and extinguished the fire.

Russia, Ukraine sign new gas deal

Russia's energy giant Gazprom and its Ukrainian counterpart Naftogaz Ukrainy signed a new gas deal here on Monday, paving the way for resuming Russian gas supplies to Ukraine and Europe.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Tymoshenko were present at the signing ceremony at the White Palace, the Russian government's compound in downtown Moscow.

Diary of a Pakistani schoolgirl

SCENE OF DESTRUCTION OF SCHOOLS BY IGNORANT AND ENEMIES OF PAKHTOONS,TALIBAN ARE ENEMIES OF PAKHTUNKHWA.

Private schools in Pakistan's troubled north-western Swat district have been ordered to close in a Taleban edict banning girls' education. Militants seeking to impose their austere interpretation of Sharia law have destroyed about 150 schools in the past year. Five more were blown up despite a government pledge to safeguard education, it was reported on Monday. Here a seventh grade schoolgirl from Swat chronicles how the ban has affected her and her classmates. The diary first appeared on BBC Urdu online.

THURSDAY JANUARY 15: NIGHT FILLED WITH ARTILLERY FIRE The night was filled with the noise of artillery fire and I woke up three times. But since there was no school I got up later at 10 am. Afterwards, my friend came over and we discussed our homework.


Today is 15 January, the last day before the Taleban's edict comes into effect, and my friend was discussing homework as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
Today, I also read the diary written for the BBC (in Urdu) and published in the newspaper. My mother liked my pen name 'Gul Makai' and said to my father 'why not change her name to Gul Makai?' I also like the name because my real name means 'grief stricken'.
My father said that some days ago someone brought the printout of this diary saying how wonderful it was. My father said that he smiled but could not even say that it was written by his daughter.

WEDNESDAY 14 JANUARY: I MAY NOT GO TO SCHOOL AGAIN

I was in a bad mood while going to school because winter vacations are starting from tomorrow. The principal announced the vacations but did not mention the date the school was to reopen. This was the first time this has happened.

In the past the reopening date was always announced clearly. The principal did not inform us about the reason behind not announcing the school reopening, but my guess was that the Taleban had announced a ban on girls' education from 15 January.

This time round, the girls were not too excited about vacations because they knew if the Taleban implemented their edict they would not be able to come to school again. Some girls were optimistic that the schools would reopen in February but others said that their parents had decided to shift from Swat and go to other cities for the sake of their education.

Since today was the last day of our school, we decided to play in the playground a bit longer. I am of the view that the school will one day reopen but while leaving I looked at the building as if I would not come here again.

FRIDAY 9 JANUARY: THE MAULANA GOES ON LEAVE?

Today at school I told my friends about my trip to Bunair. They said that they were sick and tired of hearing the Bunair story. We discussed the rumours about the death of Maulana Shah Dauran, who used to give speeches on FM radio. He was the one who announced the ban on girls attending school.

Some girls said that he was dead but others disagreed. The rumours of his death are circulating because he did not deliver a speech the night before on FM radio. One girl said that he had gone on leave.

Since there was no tuition on Friday, I played the whole afternoon. I switched on the TV in the evening and heard about the blasts in Lahore. I said to myself 'why do these blasts keep happening in Pakistan?'

WEDNESDAY 7 JANUARY: NO FIRING OR FEAR

I have come to Bunair to spend Muharram (a Muslim holiday) on vacation. I adore Bunair because of its mountains and lush green fields. My Swat is also very beautiful but there is no peace. But in Bunair there is peace and tranquillity. Neither is there any firing nor any fear. We all are very happy.

Today we went to Pir Baba mausoleum and there were lots of people there. People are here to pray while we are here for an excursion. There are shops selling bangles, ear rings, lockets and other artificial jewellery. I thought of buying something but nothing impressed - my mother bought ear rings and bangles.

MONDAY 5 JANUARY: DO NOT WEAR COLOURFUL DRESSES

I was getting ready for school and about to wear my uniform when I remembered that our principal had told us not to wear uniforms - and come to school wearing normal clothes instead. So I decided to wear my favourite pink dress. Other girls in school were also wearing colourful dresses and the school presented a homely look.

My friend came to me and said, 'for God's sake, answer me honestly, is our school going to be attacked by the Taleban?' During the morning assembly we were told not to wear colourful clothes as the Taleban would object to it.

I came back from school and had tuition sessions after lunch. In the evening I switched on the TV and heard that curfew had been lifted from Shakardra after 15 days. I was happy to hear that because our English teacher lived in the area and she might be coming to school now.

SUNDAY 4 JANUARY: I HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL

Today is a holiday and I woke up late, around 10 am. I heard my father talking about another three bodies lying at Green Chowk (crossing). I felt bad on hearing this news. Before the launch of the military operation we all used to go to Marghazar, Fiza Ghat and Kanju for picnics on Sundays. But now the situation is such that we have not been out on picnic for over a year and a half.

We also used to go for a walk after dinner but now we are back home before sunset. Today I did some household chores, my homework and played with my brother. But my heart was beating fast - as I have to go to school tomorrow. SATURDAY 3 JANUARY: I AM AFRAID I had a terrible dream yesterday with military helicopters and the Taleban. I have had such dreams since the launch of the military operation in Swat. My mother made me breakfast and I went off to school. I was afraid going to school because the Taleban had issued an edict banning all girls from attending schools.

Only 11 students attended the class out of 27. The number decreased because of Taleban's edict. My three friends have shifted to Peshawar, Lahore and Rawalpindi with their families after this edict.

On my way from school to home I heard a man saying 'I will kill you'. I hastened my pace and after a while I looked back if the man was still coming behind me. But to my utter relief he was talking on his mobile and must have been threatening someone else over the phone.

IDF investigating phosphorus shell use

IDF investigating phosphorus shell use
THE JERUSALEM POST
The IDF's Judge Advocate General is investigating the alleged use of phosphorous shells during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip.

The probe was launched at the instruction of Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi and its findings will be released to the public.

Several human rights groups have incorrectly claimed that shells the IDF fired into Gaza and which exploded in the air were phosphorus shells. The shells, fired by artillery batteries, were used to create smokescreens and contained phosphorus material, but were not actual phosphorus shells.

A phosphorus shell is an incendiary weapon that lands on the ground and explodes, burning everything within a close radius. Each 155 mm artillery shell bursts, deploying 116 wedges packed with white phosphorus which ignite on contact with oxygen and can scatter, depending on the height at which it is burst (and wind conditions), over an area at least the size of a football pitch. In addition to the indiscriminate effect of air-bursting such a weapon, firing such shells as artillery exacerbates the likelihood that civilians will be affected.

The use of such weaponry, the IDF said, is permitted under international law in open areas - to clear mines and roadside bombs - but is not permitted for use against civilians or in civilian areas. The IDF probe is checking whether the shells were used in civilian areas.

Meanwhile Monday, Amnesty International delegates visited the Gaza Strip and claimed to have found indisputable evidence of widespread use of white phosphorus in densely populated residential areas in Gaza City and in the north.

"Yesterday, we saw streets and alleyways littered with evidence of the use of white phosphorus, including still-burning wedges and the remnants of the shells and canisters fired by the Israeli army," said Christopher Cobb-Smith, a weapons expert who is in Gaza as part of a four-person Amnesty International fact-finding team.

The smokescreen shells Cobb-Smith was referring to are not under investigation by the IDF, since their use is permitted under international law to cover tank and troops movements.

Despite this, Cobb-Smith accused Israel of indiscriminate use of the shell which he called a "war crime."

"Such extensive use of this weapon in Gaza's densely populated residential neighborhoods is inherently indiscriminate. Its repeated use in this manner, despite evidence of its indiscriminate effects and its toll on civilians, is a war crime," agreed Amnesty's Researcher on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Donatella Rovera.

Authorities mount record security effort to ensure inaugural safety

WASHINGTON -- From land, water and air, tens of thousands of police officers, federal agents and National Guardsmen are being deployed in an unprecedented effort to make sure the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama is safe.

"Right now, we have no credible threat that there is any direction of interest on the inauguration," Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan told CNN.

FBI agents and intelligence officials have been checking with sources around the United States and the world to make sure no leads are overlooked, and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said intelligence will be scrubbed and rescrubbed right through the inauguration.

"We are literally going to be watching this every minute between now and the conclusion of events on the 20th," Chertoff said.

Federal officials acknowledge the inauguration of the first African-American U.S. president could be an attractive target.

Since Obama's election, the number of threats against him has increased, according to a recent federal intelligence assessment. FBI officials say the number of tips coming in has increased, as is common before an inauguration. Investigations, however, have not uncovered a real threat.

The FBI has been especially aggressive in examining white supremacy groups, which have ramped up their anti-Obama comments.

"We have not seen any activity by the groups," said FBI Assistant Director Joseph Persichini. "We have seen a lot of chatter, we have seen a lot of discussions, we have seen some information via the Internet. Again, but those are discussions. We look at the vulnerabilities and whether or not the groups are capable of taking on action."

Persichini said he believes the bureau has "a good operational plan" for dealing with the groups, but says that right now, there is no evidence they are trying to launch anything. Watch more on inauguration security »

The Secret Service is coordinating security for the inauguration, which will involve 58 federal, state and local agencies. All of them are represented at the Secret Service command center, where they can communicate and work together to respond to any report of a possible problem.

Airspace restrictions around the Capitol are being tightened. The U.S. Coast Guard is closing portions of the Potomac River. Miles of roads will be closed, along with most of the bridges into the District of Columbia. Checkpoints are going up, and undercover teams are being deployed to look for suspicious people or vehicles.

Explosives-sniffing dogs will be on hand to nose out bombs, and horses trained in crowd control are on duty. Thousands of security cameras are being used to monitor activities, sharpshooters are being stationed, and sensors will be used to detect chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

In addition to Secret Service agents, the security effort will involve 8,000 police officers from the District of Columbia and other jurisdictions, 10,000 National Guardsmen, about 1,000 FBI personnel, and hundreds of others from the Department of Homeland Security, the National Park Service and U.S. Capitol Police. Another 20,000 members of the National Guard are ready to respond if there is an emergency, according to Chertoff.

Security planners have drawn up procedures to deal with improvised explosive devices, suicide bombers and the use of a weapon of mass destruction. A recent intelligence assessment, however, said a lone wolf would pose the greatest potential threat. Chertoff said an individual or small group planning to do harm is difficult to detect.

"Whether the motivation is racism or some psychological disorder ... in an open society, it is impossible to keep a single individual from doing some damage," he said.

A major unknown is how large the crowd will be for Tuesday's activities. Estimates have ranged from 1 million to 2 million. The FBI's Persichini said only that "we know it is going to draw a lot of people here to the nation's capital."

Those attending the swearing-in ceremony or entering the parade route will undergo tight screening, including passing through magnetometers. Spectators who are unable to get into those events will be routed to the National Mall, which, for the first time, will be open from end to end for an inauguration. Security there will be less stringent.

There has been extensive planning to ensure the crowds can be moved in an orderly and safe way, and to prevent a stampede if there is any kind of security incident. Local and federal agencies have even consulted with a crowd expert.

Authorities say the massive security operation is not intended to deter people from coming to Washington.

"Our efforts are to make sure people are safe," Secret Service spokesman Malcolm Wiley said. "We'd like for as many people to come as want to come. And again, during our planning, we have made sure we could accommodate however many people decide to come."

That inaugural events are spread over a four-day period has made security even more challenging.

Organizers say they started their security planning the day after the last inauguration and ramped up their efforts in July. Officials involved say this is the biggest event they have been involved in, but believe they are prepared.

"There are a lot of things we all think about, and I'll admit that at 3 in the morning, I might wake up thinking about something, but I have to tell you, I am so confident in this plan," the Secret Service's Sullivan said.

"I just don't see any benefit to worry, and I think we just have to go along the way we're going right now and do everything that we can do to make sure that this event is going to be a safe event, that this historical event will be an enjoyable event for everybody and that, quite frankly, that the day isn't about security, but the day is about our president and the day is about our country."

Gates to sit out Obama inauguration

WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Robert Gates will sit out Barack Obama's inauguration at an undisclosed location as the "designated successor" in the event of a catastrophe, the White House announced Monday.

While the eyes of the world are glued Tuesday to Obama's historic swearing-in, attended by outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush and both outgoing and incoming senior aides, Gates will stay away, said spokeswoman Dana Perino.

"In order to ensure continuity of government, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has been designated by the outgoing administration, with the concurrence of the incoming administration, to serve as the designated successor during Inauguration Day, Tuesday, January 20th," Perino said.

It is common practice for one senior US official to sit out major events, like the annual State of the Union speech, to ensure that the US government has clear leadership in the event of a disaster or terrorist attack.

But Washington has been especially attuned to the potential problems of succession because Obama's swearing-in is the first U.S. presidential transition since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Gates is an unusually good choice as a bridge between the two administrations, Bush chose him to be his defense secretary in November 2006 and Obama has decided to keep him on in that post.

Gates "will be spending the day at a military installation outside the national capital region," said spokesman Geoff Morrell, who declined to offer further details, citing security concerns.

Entertainment industry of Frontier hangs in the balance

PESHAWAR: As growing trend of militancy has been badly affecting every sphere of life, particularly in the NWFP and Federally Administered Tribal Areas, those affiliated with music and showbiz are suffering most.

Cultural activities are next to nil in the province that is already lacking entertainment facilities. The only theatre in the provincial capital—Nishtar Hall—wearing almost a deserted look despite reopening by the incumbent government after remaining closed for almost five years during the MMA rule in the province.

Musicians and TV drama artistes are either leaving the province and country or being forced to quit the career. Senior TV artiste Arshad Hussain, singers Gulzar Alam, Haroon Bacha and Sardar Yusufzai, comedian Mirawas and Alamzeb are among the victims.

Noted Pashto singer Gulzar Alam has already bid farewell to singing while famous TV/ CD drama artiste and comedian, Alamzeb Mujahid, commonly known as Jaanan, announced quitting the field last Friday after winning release from the kidnappers.

Gulzar was in hot waters after the MMA-led government launched a crackdown on musicians and dislocated musicians from Dabgari Gardens area. He had even left the province and shifted to Quetta and Karachi but could not continue singing to earn his livelihood. After running from pillar to post, he ultimately said goodbye to singing.

However, Alamzeb’s case is different as he announced retirement from the showbiz on the very next day of his release from the captivity of unknown abductors. Like Gulzar, who has sported beard and spent time in Tableegh (preaching of Islam), Alamzeb is all set to embark upon his new mission of joining the Tableeghi Jamaat.

Either by force or on his own, the famous comedian parted ways with apparently happy and jolly artistes comrades. “I will go for “Tableegh” in a couple of days. Presently I am busy with guests and will embark upon 40-day Chilla very soon. I believe Almighty Allah have chosen honourable source of income for me that will be better than the one I am quitting,” Alamzeb told The News.

He was still reluctant to talk to media and was tight-lipped over his kidnapping saga. To a question where he would like to go for “Tableegh”, he said it depended on the will of Tableeghi Jamaat’s elders to decide his destination.

Belonging to Charsadda district, the noted artiste had left education department as PTC teacher eight years ago though he had been affiliated with the showbiz for about two decades. Arshad Hussain is another victim, who is yet to get out of the trauma he faced after kidnapping. He said to have knocked the doors of all concerned government authorities to get compensation for the loss he incurred due to kidnapping, but failed to win any relief.

He was kidnapped from the hometown of NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti, Mardan, but nobody, including the chief minister and minister for culture paid any heed to his suffering. The artiste has also lost the alternative source of income (job in HIV/Aids project of the Health Department), as the project has already ended.

Singer Haroon Bacha has left the country because of the threats from unknown militants and sought asylum in the USA while another singer, Sardar Yusufzai narrowly escaped a murder attack sometime back. A harmonium player in his orchestra, Anwar Gul, died in the attack.

This uncertain situation has disturbed the stakeholders in the music and showbiz and brought a halt to cultural activities while the government seems hapless to keep the industry alive and provide protection to artistes.

Child Protection Bureau for NWFP soon

PESHAWAR: The NWFP government will shortly pass a bill from the provincial assembly to pave the way for the establishment of Child Protection Bureau and discourage child vagrancy in the province.NWFP Minister for Social Welfare and Women Development Sitara Ayaz said that due to lack of some legal requirements the NWFP government was unable to set up and improve child protection bureaus, welfare homes and Darul Kafala in the province, saying that a bill pertaining to bring amendments to the Vagrancy Ordinance would be passed from the provincial assembly shortly.She was talking to journalists here at the Media Centre of the provincial information department Monday after introductory ceremony of proposed website about missing children, designed by a group of students from Edwardes College Peshawar. Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain was also present on the occasion.Ms Sitara Ayaz lamented that the provincial government had no data or proper information about the missing children, which she feared could be in thousands after displacement of people from Bajaur and Swat in the wake of clashes between security forces and militants.“The ANP-led government is keen to facilitate the displaced and run away children in the official shelter homes and provide them basic education and skill on the government expenses,” the provincial minister added.Sitara said that social welfare department could not confine a child to Darul Kafala or welfare homes for a long time under existing Vagrancy Ordinance. The law department had given green signal to the social welfare department to bring necessary amendments in the existing laws for this purpose, she added.In the under-construction website, the students claimed that about 80 per cent missing, displaced and run away children would be reunited with their families through their proposed website in collaboration with police department and media.Project supervisor of the website, Jawad Ahmad, a student of class 12th, said that through artificial intelligent-based report (AIBR) a probability report about the location and identification of missing children would be provided on the Internet. However, the students demanded financial, material and moral assistance from the government.
The NWFP minister vowed to provide full support to the students-designed website and said that quick services would be provided to the affected women and children. Mian Iftikhar Hussain, while speaking on the occasion, said the government would provide full protection to educational institutions in Swat and other parts of the province, adding that schools in Swat were closed because of winter vacations. He said all the educational institutions would be opened on March 1 after the vacations.

PM’s Swiss visit: a family affair or a junket

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani will embark on an official trip to Switzerland on January 27, a five-day junket that looks more like a taxpayer-funded family vacation at a time the country and most of the world economies are facing a deep recession.

The justification for the visit essentially stems from the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting of global business and political leaders in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos. The five-day event, opening on January 28, will be attended by no more than eight or 10 heads of state and government.

Scheduled to leave for Switzerland on January 27, Gilani will return home on January 31. He will be travelling on a commercial PIA flight, making a ‘technical stopover’ in London, where two of his sons are studying.

The Prime Minister House sources told The News on Sunday that Gilani was to be accompanied by the Punjab governor and his wife according to the initial plan. But the governor has now dropped out. Mrs Gilani would stay in Zurich along with her children to enjoy shopping as well as sight-seeing, the sources revealed.

While the sources maintained the entourage would comprise around 50 people, PM’s Press Secretary Imran Gardezi, when contacted by The News, put the number at 26. He, however, remained non-committal on the number of family members accompanying the prime minister, saying the programme was still evolving.

Also part of the high-profile junket, from which ostensibly nothing substantive can result, will be five federal cabinet members, including Commerce Minister Makhdoom Amin Fahim and ministers for finance, privatisation and investment. From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, there will be two officials — the foreign secretary and an additional foreign secretary — apart from a protocol officer. Since this is not a bilateral visit, the host government will not be extending any hospitality other than a car for Gilani.

Hence, all costs will be borne by the Pakistani taxpayers and that too at a time when the prime minister himself has been urging the ‘Friends of Pakistan’ to assist his country in overcoming its financial crisis. When this question was put to Gardezi, there was no firm word from him and he merely hazarded a guess that hospitality might be extended to three or four members of the delegation.

But Gardezi, who disagreed with the view that the prime minister’s visit would be a junket at the taxpayers’ expense, asserted that the event was an important multilateral forum and Pakistan’s participation would enhance its international image.

When specifically asked what would be achieved from the trip, Gardezi replied that there would be a Pakistan-specific session at Davos and the prime minister would address an influential audience there.

“Pakistan will be able to highlight its position on key issues and challenges confronting the country. Also, the forum will provide (him) an opportunity to meet many world leaders and to interact with business leaders, NGO representatives and international media,” he said.

There has been growing criticism of Gilani’s high-cost foreign visits. Last month, the issue also echoed in the National Assembly, where Bushra Gohar sought details of the prime minister’s official visits abroad. The foreign minister told the House that from March to August 2008, the prime minister had visited Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, UK, US and Sri Lanka, which had cost the national exchequer Rs 78.7 million.

While Pakistan got a US $7.6 billion financial bailout from the IMF last year, officials at the Finance Ministry said it would require another $4 billion by June 2009. For the supposedly cash-starved government, it promises no concrete gains, according to watchers of the WEF.

Diplomats claim no important bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the forum have been confirmed so far. Reportedly, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will not be going to Davos. So, this puts an end to speculation and media hype about a crucial ice-breaking meeting between the leaders of the two estranged South Asian nations.

There are indications Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who will be present at the forum, will exploit the opportunity to malign Pakistan for the Mumbai attacks.

Swat militants extending influence...IGNORANT MULLAHS AND TALIBAN

Swat militants extending influence



PESHAWAR: Emboldened by their unchallenged activities in the troubled Swat valley, Maulana Fazlullah-led militants have started extending their sphere of influence and activities to the hitherto peaceful districts bordering the militancy-plagued valley, setting the alarm bells ringing for the already beleaguered NWFP government.

The militants, after succeeding in terrorising the people of Matta, Kabal and Khwazakhela into submission, unleashed shooting and beheading spree to the relatively calm district headquarters, Mingora, and established their writ partially.

In a couple of weeks, about 26 persons were either shot dead or slaughtered and their bodies hung from trees and pole at city squares, particularly the Grain-turned-Green Square. The unchecked militant activities left the people of the city petrified and dumbfounded.

“One cannot dare to talk even to one’s family members inside the house due to fear of militants’ reprisal,” a frightened resident said when asked to comment. “Walls have also ears,” he said, fearing to speak even being alone.

Tragically, the valley of gleeful people and best orators, to summarise fear from the militants, has turned into the abode of dumb people where no one would talk about militants. Let alone dwellers, government official, MPA and minister would not speak on the escalating militancy, as all dissenting voices are stifled then there. No right to expression at all, perhaps no right to live if one dares to disagree. Seeking anonymity is demand of the day.

Turning to the upper parts of Swat, the militants marched on Madyan. The valley’s Walibagh, the house of late Khan Abdul Wali Khan in Chakri where he would stay during summers, was blown up on Friday to punish the Awami National Party for the Swat operation.

They also appeared in Barikot, a militants-free tehsil of the valley, and checked vehicles on main Swat-Peshawar Road. A resident from Shalbandai told The News that the militants had erected blockade at Karakar Pass and checked vehicle, taking away all those hailing from Shalbandai.

A suicide bomber sent by the Swat militants mowed down 42 people at a polling station in Shalbandai on December 28 for shooting down six militants in August last year. They are bent upon extending their scope of operation to Buner, a bid robustly opposed by the people.

The militants have threatened more deadly attacks against the people for standing up to them, something that terrified the people after Shalbandai suicide blast. Little was done to protect and encourage the people of Buner, allowing militants to exert their writ to hitherto peaceful district.

In Batkhela, the agency headquarters of Malakand Agency, the militants have not only fixed fee for doctors but are also trying to entrench themselves. Owing to militants’ action, doctors reduced fee as suggested by the militants that would buoy up militants to impose their will on the people, as people cannot resist after dwindling writ of the government.

The town, a business hub of the Malakand division, was rocked with four bomb blasts on the night between Thursday and Friday, three of them near Levies Post. At times, they bomb audio and video shops in Batkhela, besides hurling threats at people through their FM Radio.

Taking cue from Batkhela militants, militants commander for Lower and Upper Dir, Hafizullah, who is closely associated with the Swat militants, issued a list of fee for doctors and warned of action in case their dictate was ignored.

Shangla is a district, which was overrun by the militants in 2007 and certain towns were occupied. Though their influence has tapered off, it has not completely ended in Shangla. The militants are attempting to get hold of all neighbouring districts-Buner, Dir Upper, Dir Lower, Shangla and Malakand Agency. Before it is too late, the government needs to act to secure these districts from falling to Taliban.

Afghanistan held back by weak leadership: NATO

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NATO's top official took issue on Sunday with Afghanistan's sluggish forward progress, placing blame more on the country's weak leadership than on the Taliban-led insurgency.

"Afghan leadership is not some distant aspiration -- it's something that we need as soon as possible and on which we must insist," NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer wrote in an opinion piece published in Sunday's Washington Post.

Seven years ago the United States sent troops to Afghanistan in response to the September 11, 2001, attacks by al Qaeda, toppling the leading Taliban group that had been sheltering al Qaeda's leaders.

President-elect Barack Obama has committed to sending more U.S. forces to Afghanistan to tackle insurgent violence that has risen in recent years.

De Hoop Scheffer said the basic problem in Afghanistan is not too much Taliban but the country has too little central control. The longer it takes to see progress, he said, the longer the military operation remains in place at a "real cost in lives."

"But we have paid enough, in blood and treasure, to demand that the Afghan government take more concrete and vigorous action to root out corruption and increase efficiency, even where that means difficult political choices," Scheffer said.

The United States currently has about 33,000 troops in Afghanistan and plans to add at least another 13,000 forces by summer, according to Pentagon officials.

De Hoop Scheffer wrote that while NATO is obliged to keep ramping up the military operation, force alone cannot solve Afghanistan's problems.

However, NATO also needs to have a more cohesive approach, De Hoop Scheffer said, adding that the operations are still too much of a patchwork.

"We should have more common approaches to our efforts, including fewer geographic restrictions on where forces can go in support of each other," De Hoop Scheffer wrote.

De Hoop Scheffer said leaders from the NATO member country's will meet in France and Germany to mark the 60th anniversary of its founding, saying the meeting presents "an opportunity for alliance leaders to discuss the way forward."

‘Chitral to have marble handicraft, mining & processing unit

PESHAWAR: To include women in the main pool of progress, two mega projects of Marble Handicraft Training Centre and Marble Mining and Processing Unit would be initiated soon, tehsil nazim Sartaj Ahmad Khan told reporters on Sunday.
The projects would certainly improve the life standard of Chitrali people particularly womenfolk, Sartaj Ahmad Khan opined.
He said that the first mega project of Marble Handicraft Training Centre will be opened at Chitral to promote mosaic and handicraft sector for enhancing life standard of women and providing opportunities of earning livelihood in an honourable way.
The marble handicraft training centre would be maintained by a management board for the institute comprising representatives of Small & Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA) and All Pakistan Marble Industries Association (APMIA), he disclosed.
He said that this project would be completed within 12 months as it is funded by PSDP/ADP if not included in current five year plan.
Total cost of the project is Rs6.49 million.
Main objectives of the project are to support local community in sustainable livelihood by creating economic activity especially by womenfolk of Chitral.
To develop cluster for marble handicraft manufacturing, including developing backward and forward linkages for SMEs in the marble handicrafts manufacturing and marketing as well as to encourage local people in initiating enterprises thus creating employment opportunities, he added.
NWFP produce 87 per cent marble, 1 per cent granite 12 per cent slate as overall 82 per cent product of the country while Frontier has 158 million tons of marble reserves.
A study was conducted by an NGO which indicated that 414 million tons of marketable granite reserves are available here in Northern Areas.
Currently, he said, 148 processing unit work in NWFP while still there will be more potential as well.
He said latest machineries would be purchased for this purpose.
This centre will contribute in economics growth of the region and will be soon self-sustaining after a year of its operation, he remarked.
Training will be provided to 500 people in five years at least 30 enterprises will be established here during this period.
He said that employment of 2,000 people are expected to be associated directly with the project while more chances are available for other labours as 12 staffers would be engaged in the centre.
Another mega project of Marble Mining & Processing Unit (MM&PU) would be opened here with total cost of Rs275 million which is a joint venture of local and foreign investors, Sartaj added.
The project will be completed in 2 years as machinery would be borne by foreign investor whereas mine will be taken by local investors on equality basis of 40 per cent of total investment, he maintained.
He said that main objectives of this project are the same as of previous project with addition to minimise the ratio of wastage of marble in mining and processing besides convince the industry to adopt scientific mining techniques, use of mining machinery and ensure the machinery available on market price.
To develop an international level model project of marble mining & processing, more efforts would be needed, Sartaj further added.
He said that benefits of the projects were to increase the level of recovery of dimensional stone blocks from current 27 per cent to more than 50 per cent will also lead the greater sale of raw product in the international market resulting to increase profitability for local miners as well as processors.

Israel accused of war crimes over 12-hour assault on Gaza village.....Destruction in Gaza

Israel stands accused of perpetrating a series of war crimes during a sustained 12-hour assault on a village in southern Gaza last week in which 14 people died.

In testimony collected from residents of the village of Khuza'a by the Observer, it is claimed that Israeli soldiers entering the village:

• attempted to bulldoze houses with civilians inside;

• killed civilians trying to escape under the protection of white flags;

• opened fire on an ambulance attempting to reach the wounded;

• used indiscriminate force in a civilian area and fired white phosphorus shells.

If the allegations are upheld, all the incidents would constitute breaches of the Geneva conventions.

The denunciations over what happened in Khuza'a follow repeated claims of possible human rights violations from the Red Cross, the UN and human rights organisations.

The Israeli army announced yesterday that it was investigating "at the highest level" five other attacks against civilians in Gaza, involving two UN facilities and a hospital. It added that in all cases initial investigations suggested soldiers were responding to fire. "These claims of war crimes are not supported by the slightest piece of evidence," said Yigal Palmor, an Israeli foreign ministry spokesman.

Concern over what occurred in the village of Khuza'a in the early hours of Tuesday was first raised by the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem. Although an Israeli military spokesman said he had "no information that this alleged incident took place", witness statements collected by the Observer are consistent and match testimony gathered by B'Tselem.

There is also strong visible evidence that Khuza'a came under a sustained attack from tanks and bulldozers that smashed some buildings to pieces.

Pictures taken by photographer Bruno Stevens in the aftermath show heavy damage - and still burning phosphorus. "What I can tell you is that many, many houses were shelled and that they used white phosphorus," said Stevens yesterday, one of the first western journalists to get into Gaza. "It appears to have been indiscriminate." Stevens added that homes near the village that had not been hit by shell fire had been set on fire.

The village of Khuza'a is around 500 metres from the border with Israel. According to B'Tselem, its field researcher in Gaza was contacted last Tuesday by resident Munir Shafik al-Najar, who said that Israeli bulldozers had begun destroying homes at 2.30am.

When Rawhiya al-Najar, aged 50, stepped out of her house waving a white flag, so that the rest of the family could leave the house, she was allegedly shot by Israeli soldiers nearby.

The second alleged incident was on Tuesday afternoon, when Israeli troops ordered 30 residents to leave their homes and walk to a school in the village centre. After travelling 20 metres, troops fired on the group, allegedly killing three.

Further detailed accounts of what occurred were supplied in interviews given to a Palestinian researcher who has been working for the Observer, following the decision by Israel to ban foreign media from the Gaza Strip. Iman al-Najar, 29, said she watched as bulldozers started to destroy neighbours' homes and saw terrified villagers flee from their houses as masonry collapsed.

"By 6am the tanks and bulldozers had reached our house," Iman recalled. "We went on the roofs and tried to show we were civilians with white flags. Everyone was carrying a white flag. We told them we are civilians. We don't have any weapons. The soldiers started to destroy the houses even if the people were in them." Describing the death of Rawhiya, Iman says they were ordered by Israeli soldiers to move to the centre of the town. As they did, Israeli troops opened fire. Rawhiya was at the front of the group, says Iman.

Marwan Abu Raeda, 40, a paramedic working for the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, said: "At 8am we received a phone call from Khuza'a. They told us about the injured woman. I went immediately. I was 60 or 70 metres away from the injured woman when the Israeli forces started to shoot at me." As he drove into another street, he came under fire again. Twelve hours later, when Rawhiya was finally reached, she was dead.

Iman said she ended up in an area of rubble where a large group of people had sought cover in a deep hole among the debris of demolished houses. It is then, she says, that bulldozers began to push the rubble from each side. "They wanted to bury us alive," she said.

Obama at concert: The dream of our founders will live on

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Inauguration revelry began Sunday afternoon as thousands of people packed the National Mall in Washington for a free concert featuring big stars.
President-elect Barack Obama addressed a roaring crowd after 90 minutes of high-energy acts such as U2, Mary J. Blige, Usher and Beyonce."Welcome to this celebration of American renewal," he said."In the course of our history, only a handful of generations have been asked to confront challenges as serious as the ones we face right now.""I stand here today as hopeful as ever that the United States of America will endure," Obama said. "That it will prevail; that the dream of our founders will live on in our time."Obama spent the morning visiting Arlington National Cemetery and attending church before heading to the "We are One: Opening Inaugural Celebration" at the Lincoln Memorial. It was nothing but good vibes -- a brief respite for an incoming president who will face huge problems after he takes office Tuesday.
Bruce Springsteen opened the concert with his song "The Rising," singing, "How far I've gone/How high I've climbed/On my back's a 60 pound stone/On my shoulder a half mile line."Along the National Mall, between the Capitol and the Washington Monument, people watched the concert on massive screens and sang along with "America the Beautiful" and "This Land is Your Land."During U2's performance of "Pride (In the Name of Love)," a tribute to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., frontman Bono referenced the civil rights leader's "I Have a Dream" speech, saying that it was also, "an Irish dream, a European dream, and African dream, an Israeli dream, and a Palestinian dream."Obama mentioned the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, and also referred to King's "I Have a Dream" speech, which took place in the same spot where he was standing."Directly in front of us is a pool that still reflects the dream of a King and the glory of a people who marched and bled so that their children might be judged by their character's content," he said.Obama said what gives him "the greatest hope of all is not the stone and marble that surrounds us, but what fills the spaces in between. It is you -- Americans of every race and region and station who came here because you believe in what this country can be and because you want to help us get there."Vice President-elect Joe Biden also spoke, pointing to those "marble domes" and towers of Washington surrounding the crowd which represent the "majesty of a great nation -- all built stone by stone by American men and women."
Work is about "dignity" and "respect," he said, praising the ethic of hard-working Americans. "We owe them the chance to go to work each day knowing they have the thanks of a grateful nation."Comedians and actors such as Steve Carell and Jamie Foxx brought some comic levity to the inauguration of a president who will face some serious problems in just a few days.Foxx, always the showman, urged "Chi-town" to "stand up!"ined by his wife Michelle and their children, the President-elect stood up, laughing and clapping.Foxx did an impression of Obama's speech election night, as Obama laughed.Stevie Wonder belted out "Higher Ground" with Shakira and Usher. Herbie Hancock backed Sheryl Crow and will i. am. as they sang Bob Marley's "One Love."
Garth Brooks sang the 1971 folk rock classic "American Pie" followed by a choir-backed version of "We shall be free." Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Jack Black and Rosario Dawson also addressed the crowd.The celebration caps Obama's shortened version of President Abraham Lincoln's 1861 rail trip to Washington. Obama will be inaugurated as the 44th president in Washington on Tuesday.A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Sunday morning suggests most Americans see Obama's inauguration as a chance for a divided America to unify.
"You know the country is in the middle of a honeymoon when 6 in 10 Republicans have a positive view of Obama," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
CNN's John King interviewed Obama this week in Ohio. King noted that Obama will take the oath of office on the steps of a Capitol built on the backs of slaves and live in a house built on the backs of slaves.
"This has to be incredibly overwhelming," King said. Obama replied, "The notion that I will be standing there and sworn in as the 44th president, I think, is something that hopefully our children take for granted. But our grandparents are still stung by it and it's a remarkable moment."

Musharraf: ‘Pakistan is Not a Perpetrator of Terrorism’

At a recent Stanford University appearance, former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf adamantly defended his country, asserting that Pakistan is in fact "a victim" of terrorism and that the roots of terrorism lie in illiteracy and poverty. Photo by Som Sharma. Viji Sundaram is an editor with New America Media.

PALO ALTO, Calif. – Sounding every inch like a military general, former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf lambasted those who accuse his country as “a perpetrator of terrorism.” He asserted that Pakistan is in fact “a victim” of terrorism.

“Pakistan faces terrorism with all its facets,” the 65-year-old asserted before a packed gathering at Stanford University’s Memorial Auditorium on Jan. 16. “It is wrong to think of it as a perpetrator. Events since 1979 (the year the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan) have made it that way.”

But he noted that stamping out terrorism in Pakistan “is absolutely critical if we are to win the global war on terrorism.”

Musharraf resigned as president in August 18 last year in order to avoid charges of impeachment that were to be leveled against him by parliament later that week.

He ruled Pakistan since he seized power in a bloodless military coup in 1999, ousting the democratically elected Prime Minister Navaz Sharif. Two years later, he appointed himself president.

A few months before he resigned, Musharraf imposed emergency rule and fired nearly 60 judges, including Pakistan’s chief justice, to keep them from overturning his re-election as president.

Musharraf’s rule of Pakistan was marked by civil unrest and an uneasy alliance with the United States. He has survived more than one attempt on his life.

In his hour-long speech at Stanford, Musharraf reiterated over and over again that Pakistan has been given short shrift by the West. He said that though Pakistan and Afghanistan played a key role in ending the Cold War and the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1989, it was Europe that gathered the spoils.

“What did Pakistan and Afghanistan, the main contributors of the victory, get?” he asked rhetorically. “Nothing. Everyone abandoned us and said, ‘You are on your own.’ ”

Musharaff said he himself has been trying to eradicate terrorism from Pakistan even before 9/11, when the United States sought his help to capture Al Queda operatives and their leader, Osama bin Laden, who is believed to be hiding near Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan.

But the fight against terrorism in Pakistan is made complex by the fact that terrorism shows itself in that country in three different ways, he said: One, as terrorism itself. Another, as the militant Taliban; and the third as “Talibinazation,” which Musharraf defined as “the Taliban spreading their views into the frontiers of Pakistan.”

“With the passage of time, there’s a link between all of them,” Musharraf asserted.

He defended Pakistan’s war on terrorism, and said no other country in the world has managed to “eliminate 700 al-Queda operatives, including 45 key figures.”

That being the case, he said, for the United States to say that Pakistan has done very little with the $10 billion in U.S. aid is unreasonable, just as it is to suggest that the money has been misused.

“A trillion dollars has been spent on Iraq,” Musharraf said. “The $10 billion is a pittance for a country that has taken a lead role in fighting terrorism.

“We are together on strategy, but don’t dictate to us how it has to be done in our country,” Musharraf said, his voice rising. “It’s in the interest of Pakistan, whose people are tired of suicide bombers, to end terrorism. We’re not doing it for you.”

He said unless the world takes a “holistic approach” to its war on terrorism, nothing much would come of it. Curbing terrorism in the remote border region with Afghanistan will not happen with military might alone, he said.

He likened terrorists to a tree, with terrorist organizations being its branches.

“Branches and leaves will keep growing unless we uproot the tree,” Musharraf said.

The roots of terrorism, he said, lie in illiteracy, poverty and not being assimilated into society, all three phenomena faced by many Muslim youth globally.

Musharraf acknowledged that many of the terrorist attacks “unfortunately” had Muslim involvement mostly because the world has been removing the leaves and branches and not taken out the root.

“The anger and frustration in Muslim youth is exploited by those who have a political agenda,” Musharraf asserted. “They indoctrinate them for terrorism,” misrepresenting the teachings of Islam.

And Musharraf warned: “Identifying terrorism with Islam is extremely dangerous to the cause of fighting terrorism.”

Musharraf acknowledged that the terrorists who brought down the World Trade Center in 2001 and were behind the 2004 Madrid train bombings and the 2005 London subway blasts were neither poor nor illiterate. Those were done out of a “sense of powerlessness arising from unresolved disputes,” he said.

Musharraf said he believes that unless political disputes are resolved, especially the important ones like those involving Palestine and Kashmir, terrorism will never end.

When asked how that could be done, Musharraf said that “forces” from the European Union, which has more credibility than the United States, should “come into play.”

“A Palestinian state,” he said, to applause, “has to be created.”

As for Kashmir, over which India and Pakistan have fought three wars and several minor disputes, Musharraf said there has to be “a give-and-take on both sides.”

He said he had moved the peace process along while he ruled Pakistan, first with Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and later with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“Fleeting opportunities did come our way,” but neither country took advantage of them, he said, declining to elaborate.

It was not until someone from the audience questioned him about it did Musharraf even talk about the recent Mumbai attacks, which have further strained relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Investigations by both India and the United States point to the Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant group, being behind the attacks.

“If the Lashkar-e-Taiba are involved, they must be punished,” Musharraf said in response. “But at the same time, aspersions must not be cast on the Pakistani government.”

Musharraf’s talk, organized by several sponsors, including the Stanford in Government and the ASSU Speakers Bureau, is his second in a national speaking tour.

Soldier killed in Pakistan blast

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A Pakistani soldier was killed and another wounded Sunday afternoon when an explosive device was detonated beneath a military convoy in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province Sunday afternoon, a Pakistani military official told CNN.Militants and Pakistani soldiers exchanged fire after the explosion, the official said.Search operations were underway to locate suspected militants, he added.The Swat Valley, where the attack occurred, was once among Pakistan's biggest tourist destinations.But in recent months, militants have unleashed a wave of attacks across the region that have claimed hundreds of lives, many of them security personnel.

Int’l support to facilitate Afghan refugees sought.

PESHAWAR: NWFP Minister for Law, Human Rights and Parliamentary Affairs Barrister Arshad Abdullah Sunday said that Pakistan particularly NWFP had been a host of afghan refugees for the last 30 years which not only had a negative impact on our economy but also ruined infrastructure as well. He, in this connection appealed the International community to extend all out support in order to share burden the country was bearing despite financial crunch. This, he said, while attending the concluding session of a workshop on "International Protection of Refugees" organized by UNHCR here. Attending by Civil Judges and junior judiciary members, the purpose of this orientation workshop was to briefed the judiciary about the status of refugees, their categorization viz-a-viz to differentiate between the Afghan having valid registration and de-registered Afghans thus to protect the genuine refugees. Arshad Abdullah said that Pakistan being a responsible member of International Community set an example to give refuge to a largest number of population on its soil, it is now the responsibility of International Community to take step for their repatriation, as well as extend all out support to Pakistan. Law Minister appreciated the role of UNHCR in this regard. He also eulogized the support of UNHCR in helping the internally displaced persons (IDPs). Earlier, regional head of UNHCR Peshawar Muhammad Adar highlighted the objectives of the workshop and hailed the role of Pakistan in helping afghan refugees and supporting UNHCR for their safe repatriation. It merits a mention here that UNHCR authorities should shared with participants the contents of MoU signed between Pakistan and UNHCR for the registration of legal repatriation of Afghans, explaining UNHCR's mandate, status of Afghans in Pakistan. The participants were told that Foreign Act is not applicable to afghan having valid registration cards issued by NADRA and only those would face the punishment, who were de-registered or having no valid documents for their stay in Pakistan.

Obama urges 'perseverance' during train ride

WASHINGTON — Buoyed all day by thousands of cheering onlookers, President-elect Barack Obama brought his whistle-stop journey to the nation's capital Saturday to kick off a weekend of festivities before his inauguration as the 44th U.S. president.
The "Obama Express" carrying the 47-year-old former Illinois senator pulled into Union Station at nightfall, ending a day-long 137-mile trip from Philadelphia along the same route that Abraham Lincoln traveled before his own inauguration 147 years ago.

The train, carrying Obama, his wife, Michelle, their daughters Malia and Sasha left this morning from Philadelphia's historic 30th Street Station, and made a stop in Wilmington, Del., to pick up Vice-President Joe Biden, and his wife Jill.

It also stopped in Baltimore, where Obama spoke to a crowd that Deputy Fire Chief Raymond O'Brocki estimated at 40,000 people.

Obama, who trumpeted a call for "change" throughout his campaign, called on Americans to have patience and perseverance in the face of economic challenges.

"Let's make sure this election is not the end of what we do to change America, but the beginning," he told a crowd bundled up against the bitter cold.

Many African-Americans among the crowd wept as Obama, who will become the nation's first black president, addressed the audience.

As in Philadelphia, the Democrat referred to the founding fathers who overcame great difficulties in giving birth to a new nation.

"The trials we face are very different now, but severe in their own right," he said, noting the challenge of an economic crisis and two wars. "Only a handful of times in our history has a generation been confronted with challenges so vast. "

"And yet while our problems may be new, what is required to overcome them is not," Obama said. "What is required is the same perseverance and idealism that those first patriots displayed."

He called for a "new declaration of independence, not just in our nation, but in our own lives — from ideology and small thinking, prejudice and bigotry — an appeal not to our easy instincts but to our better angels."

The president-elect warned, however, that the enormous challenges will not be solved quickly and that there will be "false starts, and setbacks, frustrations and disappointments."

The train made two "slow rolls" through small train stations in Delaware and Maryland as it wound its way south to Washington.

As it slowed in Claymont, Del., crowds ignored the biting cold to cheer as Obama — smiling broadly — waved from an open-air platform decorated in red, white and blue bunting.

Likewise, crowds jammed into the small station in Edgewood, Md., shouted "yes, we can" as train moved slowly past, with Obama and Biden waving from the last car.

The president-elect and his family rode in style aboard a chartered 1930 Pullman train decked out with brass lamps, a bedroom and dining room. The plush, privately owned car has been used in many presidential campaigns, including by George H.W. Bush in 1992.

On board are special guests, including former Army officer Matt Kuntz of Helena, Mont., who began promoting better mental health services and screening for soldiers returning from Iraq after his stepbrother committed suicide; Case Western Reserve University history professor Lisa Hazirjian, who worked for the campaign recruiting gay and lesbian volunteers in Ohio and Pennsylvania; and Lilly Ledbetter of Jacksonville, Ala., who sued Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., for sex discrimination.

The Obamas made a low-key entry into Washington. No public events were planned, although about a hundred people showed up in hopes of getting a glimpse of the president-elect. They left in a motorcade shortly after the train pulled into Union Station and left for Blair House, the official residence where they will live until they moved into the White House on Tuesday.

While the train replicated part of Lincoln's pre-White House railroad journey to Washington from Illinois in 1861, and security was high, the Obama trip was absent the emotions that raged in the country in the lead up to the Civil War.

The fears of a possible assassination plot against the incoming 14th president were so high that Lincoln eventually agreed to change his plans and travel the last leg through Baltimore incognito and on a different train to the capital.

The only major problems thus far for the Obama inaugural events is a forecast of freezing temperatures for Tuesday's ceremony and the expected crush of visitors to the nation's capital.

Somewhere between 1 million and 2 million people are expected to make their way to Washington for the swearing-in ceremony and inaugural parade. Some 240,000 tickets have been issued for the festivities at the Capitol, with 28,000 seats.

On Sunday, Obama will attend a star-studded concert at the Lincoln Memorial, and on Tuesday, he will be sworn into office with his hand on Lincoln's bible.

In his weekly Saturday radio and Internet address, Obama said his inauguration Tuesday is a rite of passage that the country marks every four years as a testament to its democratic ideals. He cautioned that its tradition should not be taken for granted.

"We must remember that our nation was founded at a time of kings and queens, and even today billions of people around the world cannot imagine their leaders giving up power without strife or bloodshed," Obama said.

He noted that peaceful transfers between U.S. presidents have come regardless of circumstance.

"Inaugurations have taken place during times of war and peace; in Depression and prosperity," Obama said. "Our democracy has undergone many changes, and our people have taken many steps in pursuit of a more perfect union. What has always endured is this peaceful and orderly transition of power."

While the inauguration ceremonies are taking center stage, the Obama team is also moving along on the governing track.

On Friday, the Senate agreed to give him access to the second half of last fall's $700 billion financial industry bailout and House Democrats unveiled an $825 billion stimulus package.

One of the largest bills ever to make its way through Congress, it calls for federal spending of roughly $550 billion and tax cuts of $275 billion over the next two years to revive the sickly economy. It also focuses heavily on energy, education, health care and jobs-producing highway construction.

Seeking to counter critics' claims of excessive spending and too few tax cuts, Obama cast the package as necessary to create long-lasting, well-paying jobs in industries such as alternative energy, and help hard-hit industrial states such as Ohio now and in the future.

Also Friday, two U.S. officials said Obama was preparing to prohibit the use of waterboarding and harsh interrogation techniques by ordering the CIA to follow military rules for questioning prisoners.

The proposal Obama is considering would require all CIA interrogators to follow conduct outlined in the U.S. Army Field Manual, the officials said. The plans would also have the effect of shutting down secret "black site" prisons around the world, they said.

The new rules would abandon a part of outgoing President George W. Bush's counterterrorism policy that has been condemned internationally.

Good reasons for progress in U.S.-Russian relations

This statement promises progress in U.S.-Russian relations regarding strategic offensive weapons and in ensuring global stability. Clinton put forth the foreign policy goals of the administration of Barack Obama, who is to be inaugurated as the 44th U.S. President on January 20, at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing this week.
The "lady in a pantsuit" said the President-Elect and she "believe that foreign policy must be based on a marriage of principles and pragmatism, not rigid ideology, on facts and evidence, not emotion or prejudice."

This sounds great, and, judging by the U.S. media, the American public hopes the U.S. is coming back, meaning that it will be able to overcome the negative consequences of Bush's presidency.

Relations with the U.S. remain one of the main foreign policy priorities for Russia, which has had a new president since last year.

Cooperation entails mutual advantage and a balance of interests. The new U.S. administration is definitely aware of this. If its foreign policy is indeed based on principles and pragmatism, it should logically opt for full-scale relations with Russia.

Russia has been heartened by Washington's intention to develop dialogue with it pragmatically, on the basis of respect for each other's interests. The Russian Foreign Ministry thinks this intention should be supported, and that contacts with the new U.S. administration should be developed as soon as possible.

Clinton said they would "work with Russia to secure their agreement to extend essential monitoring and verification provisions of the START Treaty before it expires in December 2009, and we will work toward agreements for further reductions in nuclear weapons."

Analysts think the new U.S. administration will try to avoid tensions in bilateral relations in view of the domestic problems it has inherited from the Bush presidency (the Iraq and Afghanistan wars) and recent international problems, such as the Palestinian-Israeli fighting over Gaza and the Horn of Africa piracy.

Russian diplomats say relations with the U.S. should be developed on the principles sealed in the U.S.-Russia Strategic Framework Declaration signed in Sochi on April 6, 2008. According to it, "the foundation for the U.S. and Russian relationship should be based on the core principles of friendship, cooperation, openness, and predictability."

Russia is ready to work energetically towards this goal, Russian diplomats say, adding that dialogue with the U.S. should be "based on respect, and be honest and open."

Russia has voiced several fundamental ideas on key international issues, including a new vision of trans-Atlantic security and ways to improve the global financial system.

Moscow had put forth its proposals on military-strategic and economic issues of U.S.-Russian relations and is prepared to move ahead, hoping for reciprocal moves from the new U.S. administration.

Taliban sets Pakistani school on fire'

Taliban militants have destroyed a public school building and damaged two other houses in restive Swat valley in northwest Pakistan. Police officials said unknown militants exploded a state boy's high school in Mingora city in Swat valley on Saturday. The blast also damaged two houses situated close to the school building, police sources added. Taliban militants had earlier warned the state-run and private educational institutions not to enroll girls in schools, setting January 15 as the deadline for the ban in Swat valley. Hundreds of schools in Pakistani northwestern region have shut the doors to girls to comply with the Taliban edict banning girls' education.

Mubarak calls for IDF to leave Gaza

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Saturday demanded that Israel immediately end its military operations in the Gaza Strip and withdraw its forces, even as the Jewish State was contemplating a unilateral cease-fire that would keep its soldiers in Gaza.

Mubarak's call came on the same day that Hamas leaders maintained that fighting with Israel would continue if their demands for an Israeli withdrawal were not met.

Egypt has been a key interlocutor in the weeks of negotiation to bring about an end to Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip to stop Hamas rocket fire. More than 1,100 Palestinians have died since the strikes began December 27.

"I demand Israel today stop its military operations immediately. I demand from its leaders an immediate and unconditional cease-fire and I demand from them a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Strip," he said.

Unlike the widespread condemnation of Israel elsewhere in the Arab world, the Egyptian government has blamed Hamas for provoking the fighting and has worked closely with Israeli officials on the crisis.

Egypt put forward a proposal for a temporary cease-fire followed by a more lasting agreement to end arms smuggling to Hamas and open the crossings into the Gaza Strip.

Egypt has been adamant, however, that any international force monitoring the borders or the Gaza Strip could not be based on Egyptian territory.

"Egypt will never accept any foreign presence of monitors on its land. I say this is a red line I have not and will not allow to be crossed," he said.

Mubarak said once a cease-fire had been agreed on, Egypt would work to lift the blockade of Gaza and reopen the crossings - a key Palestinian demand.

"The Rafah crossing will remain open to the international, Arab and Egyptian humanitarian aid and humanitarian cases until there are arrangements in place to reopen the crossing," he said, adding that they would be based on a 2005 agreement between Israel, the EU and the Palestinian Authority.

Israel's decision to pursue a unilateral cease-fire seemed to be at least partly driven by a deal signed with the United States on Friday aimed at cutting off the supply of smuggled weapons to Hamas in Gaza.

The document signed in Washington outlines a framework under which the US will provide military and intelligence assets, including detection and surveillance equipment, as well as logistical help and training to Israel, Egypt and other nations in the region. The equipment and training would be used for monitoring Gaza's land and sea borders.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, however, said Saturday his country was not bound by the agreement.

The US and Israel can "do what they wish with regard to the sea or any other country in Africa, but when it comes to Egyptian land, we are not bound by anything except the safety and national security of the Egyptian people and Egypt's ability to protect its borders," Aboul Gheit told reporters.

He also denied any weapons were smuggled into Gaza from Egypt, saying they are all transported to the territory by sea.

Olmert announces Gaza ceasefire

Israel's offensive has killed at least 400 children according to the UN [AFP]
Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister, has announced a unilateral truce in the Gaza Strip.Israel will halt its offensive in Gaza at 0000 GMT on Sunday but troops will remain in the enclave for the time being and will respond to Hamas fire, Olmert said on Saturday.The announcement came after a meeting of Israel's security council on Saturday evening and halts the 22-day offensive which has left more than 1200 Palestinians dead, more than 400 of them children.
Mission accomplished
"We have reached all the goals of the war, and beyond," Olmert said.
"If our enemies decide to strike and want to carry on then the Israeli army will regard itself as free to respond with force," he added.Olmert said the war boosted Israel's deterrence and that Hamas's actions would decide when the military would withdraw."This operation strengthened the deterrence of the State of Israel in the face of all those who threaten us."If Hamas completely stops its attacks, we will judge at what moment we will leave the Gaza Strip," he said.
Hamas defiant
Hamas, however, said it would continue fighting in Gaza as long as Israeli troops remained in the Hamas-ruled Strip."If the Israeli military continues its existence in the Gaza Strip, that is a wide door for the resistance against the occupation forces," Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official in Lebanon told Al Jazeera.Fawzi Barhum, a Hamas spokesman, said: "The Zionist enemy must stop all its aggression, completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip, lift the blockade, and open the crossings. We will not accept the presence of a single soldier in Gaza."The enemy's declaration of a unilateral ceasefire confirms that this is a unilateral war launched in one direction, from the enemy upon our people," Barhum, who is in Gaza, said in a statement.Speaking at a forum in Beirut, Hamdan called on Arab leaders to stand by the Palestinian "resistance" and urged European nations to cut ties with Israel for its "crimes" in Gaza.
Uncertainty prevails
Alan Fisher, Al Jazeera's correspondent on the Gaza-Israel border, said: "What the Israelis are doing by this unilateral declaration is taking all the power into their own hands and they will almost dictate now what happens, and when.

"Israel could almost go it alone now because of the role Egypt is playing in talking to Hamas and this deal, as Israel sees it, isn't with Hamas - it is something they are doing on their own," he said.
Ayman Mohyeldin, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Gaza, said: "There are many questions that remain unanswered and what this announcement will mean for the Palestinians on the ground remains unclear because there was no clarity in that announcement."
Dr Azzam Tamimi, from the Institute of Islamic Political Thought in London, told Al Jazeera: "After the Israelis have managed to kill as many of the children and women of Gaza I doubt that people of Gaza will believe them. Ehud Olmert is a compulsive liar.
"The main objective of this operation right from the start was to turn the people of Gaza against Hamas and pave the way for Mahmoud Abbas [the Palestinian president] to return to Gaza. That is why the civilians were deliberately attacked and their lives shattered."This objective has failed, it hasn't been achieved and now Israel is declaring a unilateral truce. It is a defeat for the real objectives of this operation," Tamimi said.Rami Khouri, the Director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, told Al Jazeera: "This unilateral ceasefire has no chance of being a durable ceasefire.
"Israel has tried many unilateral approaches and each one of them has simply made the situation worse for Israel.
"There is no chance of any unilateral move by Israel having any success. It has to be a negotiated agreement that responds to the basic legitimate needs of both sides," he said.

Sharm summit

A summit aimed at giving international backing to the ceasefire will be held in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday.

It is to be attended by the leaders of Germany, France, Spain, Britain, Italy, Turkey, Jordan and the Czech Republic - which holds the rotating EU presidency - as well as presidents Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority, Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general.

It was not immediately clear whether Israel would send a representative, and Hamas has not been invited.

Reduce rocket fire

About 1,230 Gazans have been killed in Gaza since the offensive began, according to UN and Palestinian medical sources.


UN officials say two children were killed when Israeli tank fire hit a UN school [AFP] At least 13 Israelis have died, three of them civilians.
Israel decided on a unilateral ceasefire in preference to entering into an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, analysts said.

The unilateral truce allows Israel to avoid agreeing concessions with the Palestinian group, such as easing the 18-month-old blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has prevented medical aid and basic supplies from reaching the Palestinians.

Egypt has been pushing Israel and the rival Palestinian factions to reach an agreement. A Hamas delegation had returned to Cairo on Friday for a second round of talks.

Israel's stated aim of the war, which it dubbed Operation Cast Lead, has been to reduce Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel.

On the first day of the offensive up to 100 rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel. In the past few days up to 20 have hit Israel on a daily basis.