Sunday, September 11, 2011
9/11: Barack and Michelle Obama lay wreath at Pennsylvania
Video: Presidents lead 9/11 memorial in New York
Loss and Hope
New York Times
It is painful and puzzling to look back to that day, to the chasm after the second tower fell, when we knew nothing except that fires were burning, an untold number of lives had been lost, and Lower Manhattan was gasping in a cloud of what looked like Pompeian ash. That morning’s terrible events marked a border between one realm and another, a boundary none of us would ever wish to have crossed. Everything had changed — that was how it seemed.
We tried, almost immediately, to understand how the morning of 9/11 would change our future. A decade later, we’re still trying to understand, looking back and looking ahead. It is not enough simply to remember and grieve.
At first, there was only shock, grief and fear. But by the next evening there was something surprising in the air. Do you remember? It was an enormous, heartfelt desire to be changed. People wanted to be enlarged, to be called on to do more for country and community than ordinary life usually requires, to make this senseless horror count for something. It was also a public desire, a wish to be absorbed in some greater good, a reimagining of the possibilities in our national life. There was courage and unity on the streets of the city and all across the country, for we were all witnesses of that turning point.
But America has not been enlarged in the years that have passed. Based on false pretexts, we were drawn into a misdirected war that has exacted enormous costs in lives and money. Our civic life is tainted by a rise in xenophobia that betrays our best ideals. As we prepared for a war on terrorism, we gave in to a weakening of the civil liberties that have been the foundation of our culture.
It seemed, in the days after 9/11, as though we stood at the juncture of many possible futures. There was as much hope as grief, as much love as anger, and a powerful sense of resilience. We still stand at the juncture of many possible futures. They are occasioned not by what terrorists in four airliners did to us, but by what we have done in the decade since. As a nation, we have done a better job of living with our fears, sadly, than nurturing the expansive spirit of community that arose in those early days.
We are still learning about the events of 9/11, and in truth, 10 years is a short window to assess the consequences of those attacks. Perhaps in time we will realize that the full meaning of what happened on 9/11 resides in the surge of compassion and hope that accompanied the shock and mourning of that September day.
9/11...A Day That Stands Alone in History
By JAMES BARRON
Just as Sept. 11 was unthinkable, Sunday was inevitable: the 10th anniversary of a day that stands alone. In history. In memory.
Three-thousand six-hundred fifty-two days have now passed. At 8:46 a.m. — the time when the first plane slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center — 87,648 hours had gone by. Another 5,258,880 minutes. Another 315,532,800 seconds.
Once more, the families gathered at ground zero, where 2,749 died, and in Washington and in Pennsylvania, paying tribute to the 224 who died there.
Once more, there was an outpouring of grief. And there were fresh jitters about security as President Obama’s top counterterrorism official, John O. Brennan, appeared on television news shows to say that the administration would “leave no stone unturned” in pursuing a still-unconfirmed intelligence tip that Al Qaeda was plotting to disrupt the anniversary.
“It’s not confirmed,” he said, “but we are not relaxing at all. This is a 24/7, round-the-clock effort by all elements of the U.S. counterterrorism community.”
The ceremony at ground zero brought together the officials who were in office 10 years ago — President George W. Bush, Gov. George E. Pataki of New York, Gov. Donald T. DiFrancescoof New Jersey and Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani — with their successors: President Obama, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. who said that the attacks had turned “a perfect blue-sky morning” into “the blackest of nights.” “We can never unsee what happened here,” the mayor said.
President Obama read Psalm 46, which talks about God as “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble,” and Mr. Cuomo read from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address, the famous “four freedoms” speech — freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want and freedom from fear “anywhere in the world.”
Mr. Bush quoted Abraham Lincoln on the casualties in the Civil War as he commemorated the casualties of Sept. 11. “I pray that our heavenly father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement,” Mr. Bush read, quoting from a letter Lincoln had written in 1864 to a mother whose five sons had died in the war.
“President Lincoln not only understood the heartbreak of his country,” Mr. Bush said, “he also understood the cost to sacrifice and reached out to console those in sorrow.”
There were also long moments of silence, first at 8:46 a.m., the time American Airlines Flight 11 struck the north tower, and again at 9:03 a.m., when United Airlines Flight 175 smashed into the other tower. Another silence — at ground zero and at the Pentagon — came at 9:37 a.m., when American Airlines Flight 77 slammed into what had been considered the unshakable nerve center of the world’s most powerful military.
“There are no words to ease the pain that you still feel,” Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta told relatives of the 184 people who died there.
Another moment of silence, at 10:03 a.m., marked the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pa. — the plane on which passengers tried to fight back, storming the cockpit and attempting to take control of the plane from the terrorists who had hijacked it. “There is nothing with which to compare the passenger uprising of 10 years ago,” said Gov. Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania. “It has no companion in history in my mind.” He added: “Their uprising marks the moment in history when Americans showed what makes us different. We refuse to be victims. We refuse to settle for the term ‘survivor.’ Captivity will not suit us.”
The silver bell at ground zero was rung to remember those passengers, as it had been rung through the morning to remember the passengers on the other hijacked airliners and the people inside the twin towers — office workers, custodians, people having at breakfast in the restaurant a quarter-mile above the street.
The bell tolled again at 10:28 a.m. “North Tower falls,” read large letters on video monitors — three short words that described the destruction of one of the world’s largest buildings, one that had taken some six years to complete.
That silence was the longest, and was the last scheduled at ground zero. But the vigilant did not pause. On a construction scaffold of One World Trade Center, on a deck of the World Financial Center, on the post office building across from the site, police officers with binoculars scanned the crowd below and the sky above.
Then Mr. Giuliani, who was approaching the end of his tenure on Sept. 11 — and who provoked criticism for seeking an extension — stepped to the lectern. “The perspective that we need and have needed to get through the last 10 years and the years that remain are best expressed by the words inscribed by God in the book of Ecclesiastes,” he said before reading the famous passage that begins, “To every thing there is a season.”
“A time to be born, and a time to die,” Mr. Giuliani read as his wife, Judith Nathan, stood behind him. He was applauded after the last line: “A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
Once more, the names were recited — solemnly, but sometimes with poignant, personal reminiscences. One man was thanked for looking down from heaven and helping the Dallas Cowboys. Another relative mentioned “your laughter, your smile and your meatloaf.” And Jefferson Crowther stood at the microphone with a red kerchief in his shirt pocket.
The ribbon’s significance became clear when he got to the last name he read.
“And my courageous son, Welles Remy Crowther,” he said, his voice cracking. “The man with the red bandanna.” Welles Crowther, a firefighter, had worn a red bandanna on Sept. 11 as he tried to help people escape from the World Trade Center.
The 10th anniversary dawned on a city and a nation that has changed immutably, with continuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and persistent security worries at home. And no longer is ground zero a scarred reminder of what was, but a symbol of resurgence, with the National September 11 Memorial about to open and a not-yet-finished skyscraper now 961 feet above the street where thousands fell.
What was then the site of the World Trade Center is now surrounded by construction fences. But reminders of what happened were everywhere: There were flags on the new Tower One, the “Freedom Tower.” The subway station nearby has exit sign that identify it as the “Rector Street 9/11 Memorial,” with the “11” written to look like the twin towers.
Ten years ago, it was just another morning — a Tuesday, a day when ordinary people did the most ordinary of things: Scrambling to work, kissing their families goodbye, running for the train. And then there was the dark gash and the ball of fire high up in one of the buildings, and a few minutes later, a second gash, a second ball of fire and a plume of smoke visible for miles.
“Things were never going to be the same again,” said Charles Mintzer, a now-retired New York State employee. On Sunday he returned to the place he had watched a decade ago, the promenade overlooking the East River in Brooklyn Heights.
So did Marcy Chapin, a retired foundation executive, who had gone there on Sept. 11 and remembered hearing shouting in the streets about New York being under attack. She reached the promenade — — as the second plane hit.
“I though, ‘What could be next? The Brooklyn Bridge?’” she recalled.Sept. 11 put New York, a city that had not faced combat in more than 200 years, on the front lines in a global war on terrorism. Sept. 11 made slogans created by Madison Avenue like “If you see something, say something” as widespread as “Loose lips sink ships” once was.
But Sept. 11 redefined so much more.
One measure of how Sept. 11 changed everything was how little grumbling there was last week as motorists waited to crawl through police checkpoints after officials began investigating the report of a possible Al Qaeda plot to coincide with the anniversary. The acceptance of the police inspections was a sign of how Sept. 11 had redefined bridges and tunnels in a way that generations of commuters had never imagined, as potential targets.
Sept. 11 redefined so much more.
Sept. 11 brought color-coded threat levels (though the Department of Homeland Security, itself a post-Sept. 11 creation, phased them out several months ago).
Still travelers worry: Is it safe to fly? Since Sept. 11, airline passengers have had to pull off their shoes and empty their pockets, and they felt embarrassed when they forgot they had a too-big bottle of shampoo or mouthwash in their carry-on.
And still there were episodes when terrorists on international flights tried to set off plastic explosives hidden in their shoes or sewn into their underwear.
Is it safe to open the mail? A week after the Sept. 11 attacks, letters containing anthrax killed 5 people and infected 17 others. It took the F.B.I. five years to conclude that an Army microbiologist had been responsible. In the confusion at first, people hoarded antibiotics, and officials briefly grounded crop-dusting airplanes.
But this anniversary played out against a different backdrop than the first anniversary, in 2002, or the fifth, in 2006. For the first time, Osama bin Laden was dead. “We’ve taken the fight to Al Qaeda like never before,” Mr. Obama declared Saturday in his weekly radio address.
For the first time, too, there was tangible progress toward fulfilling the promise to rebuild — a promise made in the aftermath of the attacks but delayed by squabbling over architects, plans and finances. Buildings are rising between Church and West Streets in Lower Manhattan, and the National September 11 Memorial will open to the public on Monday. Relatives of those who died at the World Trade Center will get a first look on Sunday.
If they were to measure it, they would see that the memorial covers about half of the 16-acre World Trade Center site. They will see that the names of the dead have been inscribed on the walls of two reflecting pools that now fill the footprints of the old towers — pools that hold 550,000 gallons of water and are lined with 3,968 panels of granite, each weighing 420 pounds. A museum is to open nearby next year. For the memorial and the museum together, the plans called for some 8,151 tons of steel and 49,900 cubic yards of concrete.
“The size of it all is kind of breathtaking,” said Paul Schlenr of Cincinnati, who said his wife’s sister, Margaret Seeliger, died in the south tower.
Christine Corday, an artist whose husband runs the company that installed the bronze plates with the names, had been at ground zero early on Sunday, polishing the letters that had been etched in. “Every name has run under the palm of my hand,” she said. “Each name here is a life, and that’s never been lost on anyone that’s worked on this project.”
Mary Dwyer of Brooklyn, whose sister, Lucy Fishman, also worked in the south tower, said it was moving to be able to stand, for the first time, near where Ms. Fishman had died. “It’s the closest I’ll ever get to her again,” said Ms. Dwyer, adding that she is 36, the same age as her sister on Sept. 11.
Of the waterfalls, Debra Burlingame, whose brother, Charles, was the pilot on the American Airlines plane, said, “Some people think of them as tears” — an idea echoed by Alice M. Greenwald, the director of the museum, as she walked along the pools.
In the late afternoon, she said, the sunlight creates rainbows in the pools. And at night, lights shine from below, creating a “moire effect” that reminds her of the latticelike pattern of the twin towers.
“The difference for me is seeing people here,” Ms. Greenwald said. “This is now a place, not a construction site, not a design. It’s now a place in New York.” She said the difference was “transformational.”Beyond ground zero, there were other signs of remembrance. The U.S.S. New York, commissioned in 2009 and made with seven-and-a-half tons of steel from the twin towers, spent the weekend at anchor in the Hudson River. On Sunday morning, it was to cruise to Lower Manhattan, stopping within sight of the new tower at the Trade Center site. And the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the trade center site, planned a moment of silence for 1 p.m. and issued a statement asking Americans to “cease all regular activity for one minute to reflect on the lives lost and those affected by the tragedies of 9/11.”
The New York City Fire Museum will honor the 343 firefighters who died with the dedication of the bunker coat and helmet that a Fire Department chaplain, Mychal F. Judge, was wearing on Sept. 11 when he died. Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan will have a “trialogue,” a three-way discussion with Shamsi Ali, the imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York; Rabbi Michael S. Friedman, the associate rabbi of Central Synagogue in Manhattan; and Michael B. Brown, the church’s senior minister.
At night, an interfaith ceremony on the south side of Pier 40, a park at the west end of Houston Street, will be led by the Rev. Alfonso Wyatt, the vice president of the Fund for the City of New York.
And still what happened on that morning seems as impossible as it did in those first few minutes, when one friend called another and said something like, “Go turn on the television. A plane has crashed into the World Trade Center.”
Or when, in the seconds before the picture came on, an anchor was heard saying something like, “Wait. These are live pictures, not the tape? So that was a different plane, and it hit the other one?”
Like the day when John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, or the day when the space shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986 or the day when Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, Sept. 11 was one of those days that divided things into “before” and “after.”
New Yorkers still talk about what a bright morning that was, after a thunder-and-lightning show in the sky the night before. They talk about how late-summer days are forever different. They talk about how the foreboding that has replaced the promise in the pink of the sunrise and so much joy in the deep blue of the midmorning sky.
And they talk about what the World Trade Center was, a city-within-the-city that dominated the skyline. Below 14th Street, it was a direction-finder as sure as the “N” on any compass. It had been bombed in 1993. The damage had been repaired, but the two buildings remained a target for Al Qaeda.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Stable Afghanistan Guarantees Prevention Of 9/11 Type Attacks, US Ambassador
Rayen Crocker, US ambassador to Afghanistan says for prevention from similar attacks like 9/11, it is necessary to keep on serious fight against Taliban.
Rayen Crocker, US ambassador to Afghanistan says for prevention from similar attacks like 9/11, it is necessary to keep on serious fight against Taliban. Crocker also has said what US needs is patience and strategic tolerance for winning a long war and such mission requires further time and sources. US ambassador also asserted related to faults and mistakes done during the war in Afghanistan admitted that mistakes can be avoided in future. He also said after his country leaves Afghanistan, billions dollars will be spent by US in improvement of good-governance and enforcement of Afghan security forces. In an interview with Reuters on the threshold of 10th anniversary of 9/11 attacks, US ambassador said what we need is patience and showing strategic tolerance for winning the long war and for this, further time and resources are needed. The ambassador to Afghanistan, who witnessed the 9/11 attacks in New York, has be engaged in diplomatic missions in the countries where there is fight against terrorism. Meanwhile, the US ambassador to Afghanistan intended that setting a stable Afghanistan is the guarantee for prevention from attacks as 9/11 and said Taliban are strict, so we have to keep on fighting against them because if we say that our mission is completed, the Taliban will soon get back.
Saudi Arabia: The Teflon kingdom
http://www.vancouversun.com
Late in the day of Sept. 11 10 years ago, someone asked me who I thought the United States would blame for what had just happened in New York and Washington.
Without thinking about it too much I replied: "They'll attack Afghanistan, but they should bomb Riyadh."
A decade later I don't see much reason to change my off-the-cuff judgment that it is in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, that the real source of global Islamic radicalism and support for terrorism is to be found.
And it is not just that the Saudi royal family and government have financed and encouraged the worldwide export of their brutally puritanical Wahhabist form of Islam.
Members of the Saudi royal family and government were directly involved in financing and facilitating the 9/11 attacks on the U.S.
Three senior royal princes have been named by one of bin Laden's lieutenants as key supporters of al-Qaida and the attacks on New York and Washington.
All three died within one week in July 2002. The implication is that they were put to death by Saudi authorities in an attempt to placate the U.S. administration and minimize damage to relations with American officials.
Details of the Saudi involvement with al-Qaida, bin Laden and 9/11 were first set out by author Gerald Posner in his 2003 book Why America Slept. Many other writers, journalists and filmmakers have added details to the Saudi charge sheet since then.
A new book examining the relationship between Saudi Arabia, the Sept. 11 terrorists and the Bush White House, The Eleventh Day, by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan, has just been published. One of the things this book takes a close look at is the 28-page section of the 2004 Congressional Joint Inquiry into the attacks, which was censored on the orders of president George W. Bush.
Several newspapers have reported that blanked-out sections of the 396page report dealt with Saudi involvement in the attacks. The censorship of those 28 pages is being continued by the administration of Barack Obama.
Bob Graham, the co-chair of the Congressional committee, is quoted by Summers and Swan as telling them his panel found "that the Saudis were facilitating, assisting, some of the hijackers. And my suspicion is that they were providing some assistance to most if not all of the hijackers. It's my opinion that 9/11 could not have occurred but for the existence of an infrastructure of support within the United States."
Financial support for bin Laden and his terrorist objectives by elements within the Saudi royal family and government was well known before the 2001 attacks. The CIA noted bin Laden's transition in the 1990s from an ally in the war against the occupation by the Soviet Union of Afghanistan to a freelance sponsor of jihadist terror against the U.S.
But when in 1996 the CIA set up its first unit dedicated entirely to bin Laden and al-Qaida, it got absolutely no cooperation from the Saudi General Intelligence Department, then headed by Prince Turki al-Faisal.
A former head of intelligence for the Taliban, al-Qaida's hosts and protectors in Afghanistan in the 1990s, has testified that in 1998 Prince Turki did a deal with bin Laden.
In return for bin Laden's agreement not to attack Saudi targets, the Saudi government would provide funds for the Taliban and not seek bin Laden's extradition.
In addition, the tens of millions of dollars in Saudi government money being channelled to bin Laden every year would continue.
By late morning on Sept. 11, 2001, it had been established that the attacks on New York and Washington had the hallmarks of a bin Laden, al-Qaida operation. And by the end of the next day, American officials knew that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis.
This created panic among the many members of bin Laden's family and the royal family who were in the U.S. at the time. For reasons that have never been adequately explained, the Bush administration allowed four planes to take the Saudis out of the U.S. while all regular flights were still grounded. How many people on these planes might have been useful for American investigators to question and why they were not has never been made clear.
Among those to flee was well-known horse racing enthusiast and owner of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner War Emblem, Prince Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.
After senior bin Laden aide Abu Zubaydah was captured in Pakistan in 2002 he named Prince Ahmed as one of three Saudi princes who had actively supported the 9/11 attacks.
Soon afterward, in July 2002, all three died within a week. Prince Ahmed is said to have died of a heart attack following stomach surgery. Prince Sultan bin Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah al-Saud supposedly died in a car crash while speeding to Prince Ahmed's funeral. And Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Saud al-Kabir, we are told, died of thirst. By this time the FBI had retraced the steps of the hijackers' lives in the U.S. before the terrorist attacks. The stories of two in particular showed clear involvement by elements in the Saudi government.
Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, part of the team that crashed American Airlines flight 77 into the Pentagon, arrived in Los Angeles in January 2000.
Over the next 20 months they received Saudi government money and support through two Saudi officials. They were Fahad al-Thumairy, a diplomat appointed by the Saudi ministry of Islamic affairs to liaise with American Muslims, and Omar al-Bayoumi, an employee of the subsidiary of the Saudi Civil Aviation Administration.
Also involved in supporting the two hijackers was Anwar al-Awlaki, the New Mexican-born Islamic lecturer now hiding in his family home country, Yemen, who acts as an online recruiter for al-Qaida.
He inspired Fort Hood gunman Nidal Malik, the "Christmas Day Bomber" Umar Farouk, and wouldbe Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad.
Some of the money paid to Mihdhar and Hazmi while they prepared for 9/11 even came through Princess Haifa al-Faisal - the wife of longtime Saudi ambassador to Washington, and close personal friend of both George W. Bush and then CIA director George Tenet, Prince Bandar Bin Sultan.
Prince Bandar is the son of the Saudi Crown Prince and is now the country's defence minister.
jmanthorpe@vancouversun.com
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/9-11-anniversary/Saudi+Arabia+Teflon+kingdom/5382190/story.html#ixzz1Xa9j5P4Y
Late in the day of Sept. 11 10 years ago, someone asked me who I thought the United States would blame for what had just happened in New York and Washington.
Without thinking about it too much I replied: "They'll attack Afghanistan, but they should bomb Riyadh."
A decade later I don't see much reason to change my off-the-cuff judgment that it is in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, that the real source of global Islamic radicalism and support for terrorism is to be found.
And it is not just that the Saudi royal family and government have financed and encouraged the worldwide export of their brutally puritanical Wahhabist form of Islam.
Members of the Saudi royal family and government were directly involved in financing and facilitating the 9/11 attacks on the U.S.
Three senior royal princes have been named by one of bin Laden's lieutenants as key supporters of al-Qaida and the attacks on New York and Washington.
All three died within one week in July 2002. The implication is that they were put to death by Saudi authorities in an attempt to placate the U.S. administration and minimize damage to relations with American officials.
Details of the Saudi involvement with al-Qaida, bin Laden and 9/11 were first set out by author Gerald Posner in his 2003 book Why America Slept. Many other writers, journalists and filmmakers have added details to the Saudi charge sheet since then.
A new book examining the relationship between Saudi Arabia, the Sept. 11 terrorists and the Bush White House, The Eleventh Day, by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan, has just been published. One of the things this book takes a close look at is the 28-page section of the 2004 Congressional Joint Inquiry into the attacks, which was censored on the orders of president George W. Bush.
Several newspapers have reported that blanked-out sections of the 396page report dealt with Saudi involvement in the attacks. The censorship of those 28 pages is being continued by the administration of Barack Obama.
Bob Graham, the co-chair of the Congressional committee, is quoted by Summers and Swan as telling them his panel found "that the Saudis were facilitating, assisting, some of the hijackers. And my suspicion is that they were providing some assistance to most if not all of the hijackers. It's my opinion that 9/11 could not have occurred but for the existence of an infrastructure of support within the United States."
Financial support for bin Laden and his terrorist objectives by elements within the Saudi royal family and government was well known before the 2001 attacks. The CIA noted bin Laden's transition in the 1990s from an ally in the war against the occupation by the Soviet Union of Afghanistan to a freelance sponsor of jihadist terror against the U.S.
But when in 1996 the CIA set up its first unit dedicated entirely to bin Laden and al-Qaida, it got absolutely no cooperation from the Saudi General Intelligence Department, then headed by Prince Turki al-Faisal.
A former head of intelligence for the Taliban, al-Qaida's hosts and protectors in Afghanistan in the 1990s, has testified that in 1998 Prince Turki did a deal with bin Laden.
In return for bin Laden's agreement not to attack Saudi targets, the Saudi government would provide funds for the Taliban and not seek bin Laden's extradition.
In addition, the tens of millions of dollars in Saudi government money being channelled to bin Laden every year would continue.
By late morning on Sept. 11, 2001, it had been established that the attacks on New York and Washington had the hallmarks of a bin Laden, al-Qaida operation. And by the end of the next day, American officials knew that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudis.
This created panic among the many members of bin Laden's family and the royal family who were in the U.S. at the time. For reasons that have never been adequately explained, the Bush administration allowed four planes to take the Saudis out of the U.S. while all regular flights were still grounded. How many people on these planes might have been useful for American investigators to question and why they were not has never been made clear.
Among those to flee was well-known horse racing enthusiast and owner of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner War Emblem, Prince Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.
After senior bin Laden aide Abu Zubaydah was captured in Pakistan in 2002 he named Prince Ahmed as one of three Saudi princes who had actively supported the 9/11 attacks.
Soon afterward, in July 2002, all three died within a week. Prince Ahmed is said to have died of a heart attack following stomach surgery. Prince Sultan bin Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah al-Saud supposedly died in a car crash while speeding to Prince Ahmed's funeral. And Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Saud al-Kabir, we are told, died of thirst. By this time the FBI had retraced the steps of the hijackers' lives in the U.S. before the terrorist attacks. The stories of two in particular showed clear involvement by elements in the Saudi government.
Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, part of the team that crashed American Airlines flight 77 into the Pentagon, arrived in Los Angeles in January 2000.
Over the next 20 months they received Saudi government money and support through two Saudi officials. They were Fahad al-Thumairy, a diplomat appointed by the Saudi ministry of Islamic affairs to liaise with American Muslims, and Omar al-Bayoumi, an employee of the subsidiary of the Saudi Civil Aviation Administration.
Also involved in supporting the two hijackers was Anwar al-Awlaki, the New Mexican-born Islamic lecturer now hiding in his family home country, Yemen, who acts as an online recruiter for al-Qaida.
He inspired Fort Hood gunman Nidal Malik, the "Christmas Day Bomber" Umar Farouk, and wouldbe Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad.
Some of the money paid to Mihdhar and Hazmi while they prepared for 9/11 even came through Princess Haifa al-Faisal - the wife of longtime Saudi ambassador to Washington, and close personal friend of both George W. Bush and then CIA director George Tenet, Prince Bandar Bin Sultan.
Prince Bandar is the son of the Saudi Crown Prince and is now the country's defence minister.
jmanthorpe@vancouversun.com
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/9-11-anniversary/Saudi+Arabia+Teflon+kingdom/5382190/story.html#ixzz1Xa9j5P4Y
‘Altaf’s address waste of time’
All the political parties except the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) described Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief’s video address on Friday a non-event and a waste of time.
Altaf Hussain, during almost four hours of address — the longest in Pakistan’s political history and shown live on all private channels — actually revealed nothing except for allegations without any proof that the Awami National Party (ANP) received money from the US to win general elections in 2008, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers were heavily armed and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) was running an underground armed group called ‘Thunder Squad’.
All three named parties, however, scoffed at the allegations saying the accusations coming from the MQM chief were meanningless when everyone knows who started extortion rackets, ran death squads, grabbed lands and killed own supporters in Karachi if they dared to speak against the party leader.
PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said that Altaf wasted valuable time of the entire nation through his irrelevant tirade with no evidence and did not respond to the allegations made on oath by Dr Zulfiqar Mirza that really prompted him to address the people.
The ANP, for so long a coalition partner along with the MQM in Sindh and at the centre, said that the address was a sheer waste of time that had no substance whatsoever and Altaf appeared mentally sick.
“The MQM chief is feeling insecure and the noose around him is tightening in connection with the assassination of Dr Imran Farooq,” declared ANP Senator Zahid Khan when asked to comment on MQM leader’s outburst and his accusation that Asfandar Wali Khan received millions of dollars from the USA.
Not to anyone surprise Altaf did not utter a single word against the Pakistan People’s Party, President Asif Ali Zardari, whom he called brother, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and former senior provincial minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, the man who opened the Pandora’s box and alleged that the MQM and Altaf were foreign agents and working for the disintegration of Pakistan.
When asked what was his comment on Altaf’s address, Dr Mirza told newsmen that it was an entertainment show with some song and dance number and never answered my accusations.
During his marathon address Altaf also criticised the judiciary claiming that it was powerless to get any of the dozens of verdicts implemented and urged the army and Inter Services Intelligence to stop the genocide of Urdu speaking population in Karachi.
JI Karachi chief Mohammed Hussain Mehanti told newsmen that MQM chief was confused and did not know what was he talking about and worth not even mentioning when all and sundry were aware of the party and its working.
khaleejtimes.com
Altaf Hussain, during almost four hours of address — the longest in Pakistan’s political history and shown live on all private channels — actually revealed nothing except for allegations without any proof that the Awami National Party (ANP) received money from the US to win general elections in 2008, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers were heavily armed and the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) was running an underground armed group called ‘Thunder Squad’.
All three named parties, however, scoffed at the allegations saying the accusations coming from the MQM chief were meanningless when everyone knows who started extortion rackets, ran death squads, grabbed lands and killed own supporters in Karachi if they dared to speak against the party leader.
PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said that Altaf wasted valuable time of the entire nation through his irrelevant tirade with no evidence and did not respond to the allegations made on oath by Dr Zulfiqar Mirza that really prompted him to address the people.
The ANP, for so long a coalition partner along with the MQM in Sindh and at the centre, said that the address was a sheer waste of time that had no substance whatsoever and Altaf appeared mentally sick.
“The MQM chief is feeling insecure and the noose around him is tightening in connection with the assassination of Dr Imran Farooq,” declared ANP Senator Zahid Khan when asked to comment on MQM leader’s outburst and his accusation that Asfandar Wali Khan received millions of dollars from the USA.
Not to anyone surprise Altaf did not utter a single word against the Pakistan People’s Party, President Asif Ali Zardari, whom he called brother, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and former senior provincial minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, the man who opened the Pandora’s box and alleged that the MQM and Altaf were foreign agents and working for the disintegration of Pakistan.
When asked what was his comment on Altaf’s address, Dr Mirza told newsmen that it was an entertainment show with some song and dance number and never answered my accusations.
During his marathon address Altaf also criticised the judiciary claiming that it was powerless to get any of the dozens of verdicts implemented and urged the army and Inter Services Intelligence to stop the genocide of Urdu speaking population in Karachi.
JI Karachi chief Mohammed Hussain Mehanti told newsmen that MQM chief was confused and did not know what was he talking about and worth not even mentioning when all and sundry were aware of the party and its working.
khaleejtimes.com
Obama, Bush, Clinton Remember Sept. 11
VOA.COM
Former U.S. presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and Vice President Joe Biden, are in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, for a ceremony dedicating a memorial to the victims of United Flight 93, which crashed into a field during the September 11th, 2001 attacks.
The memorial being dedicated is made of white stone and commemorates the efforts by passengers and crew of Flight 93 to overcome their hijackers and force the plane to the ground.
During the ceremony, the names of the 40 victims were read out, one by one, accompanied by chimes.
In Washington U.S. President Barack Obama is marking the 10th anniversary of the attacks with tributes to the first responders, the military and the thousands of people who lost their lives.
During his weekly address Saturday, Mr. Obama spoke of the acts of heroism a decade ago in New York at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon outside Washington and on United Flight 93.
Later in the day, Mr. Obama and his wife Michelle visited Arlington National Cemetery, where hundreds of thousands of members of the U.S. military are buried. A White House official said the president and his wife believe it is important for all Americans to honor those who have served in the military since September 11, 2001.
The Obamas were visiting a section of the cemetery containing the graves of soldiers killed in the past decade's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Former U.S. presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and Vice President Joe Biden, are in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, for a ceremony dedicating a memorial to the victims of United Flight 93, which crashed into a field during the September 11th, 2001 attacks.
The memorial being dedicated is made of white stone and commemorates the efforts by passengers and crew of Flight 93 to overcome their hijackers and force the plane to the ground.
During the ceremony, the names of the 40 victims were read out, one by one, accompanied by chimes.
In Washington U.S. President Barack Obama is marking the 10th anniversary of the attacks with tributes to the first responders, the military and the thousands of people who lost their lives.
During his weekly address Saturday, Mr. Obama spoke of the acts of heroism a decade ago in New York at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon outside Washington and on United Flight 93.
Later in the day, Mr. Obama and his wife Michelle visited Arlington National Cemetery, where hundreds of thousands of members of the U.S. military are buried. A White House official said the president and his wife believe it is important for all Americans to honor those who have served in the military since September 11, 2001.
The Obamas were visiting a section of the cemetery containing the graves of soldiers killed in the past decade's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Karachi:Supreme justice
Editorial:http://www.thenews.com.pk/images/h1_11.jpg
A week of hearings of the Karachi suo motu case has ended and here is what we have learnt so far: the police are heavily politicised, with 40 percent of the force having political affiliations; the Sindh inspector general’s hands, according to himself, are tied and he cannot even authorise the transfer of police officials; The Rangers and the police blatantly resist cooperating with each other; political parties, in the words of the chief justice himself, seem to have morphed into militant groups; the party with more than 50 seats in the provincial assembly says it is ‘powerless’; the provincial government has the capacity but not the will to protect the lives, property and dignity of citizens; the situation in Karachi is worse, says DG Rangers, than that in Waziristan; and basically, all said and done, Karachi, and by extension Pakistan, are in dire straits. What lies ahead?
As Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has warned, the fundamental rights of the people of Karachi need to be protected and the Constitution implemented “or else the army will have to come in”. As we well know, and as the CJ has reminded us, the protectors of the national interest always use the crutch of the ‘doctrine of necessity’ and step in on the pretext of saving the country from collapse. The court has taken long strides in blocking army interventions in the future with the July 31, 2009 decision that reads that “any action of the armed forces undertaken without the direction by the federal government shall be unconstitutional, illegal, void ab initio and consequently of no legal effect.” The Supreme Court has done its work; now, it’s time for the government to step up and take responsibility to restore order.
At the very least, every political party and each political leader or activist who has indulged in, or even flirted with, militant politics – and a lot have – should examine their consciences. In many countries, violence of the kind we have seen in Karachi would shock the political class into collective determination to change. It is a measure of how damaged Pakistani politics has now become that it is hard to expect any such thing. A responsible government would not treat violence of the kind Karachi is experiencing with this level of indifference. There have to be collective and creative political responses. Because the public is tired of the chaos. And the public chooses the government. Be careful what you wish for.
A week of hearings of the Karachi suo motu case has ended and here is what we have learnt so far: the police are heavily politicised, with 40 percent of the force having political affiliations; the Sindh inspector general’s hands, according to himself, are tied and he cannot even authorise the transfer of police officials; The Rangers and the police blatantly resist cooperating with each other; political parties, in the words of the chief justice himself, seem to have morphed into militant groups; the party with more than 50 seats in the provincial assembly says it is ‘powerless’; the provincial government has the capacity but not the will to protect the lives, property and dignity of citizens; the situation in Karachi is worse, says DG Rangers, than that in Waziristan; and basically, all said and done, Karachi, and by extension Pakistan, are in dire straits. What lies ahead?
As Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has warned, the fundamental rights of the people of Karachi need to be protected and the Constitution implemented “or else the army will have to come in”. As we well know, and as the CJ has reminded us, the protectors of the national interest always use the crutch of the ‘doctrine of necessity’ and step in on the pretext of saving the country from collapse. The court has taken long strides in blocking army interventions in the future with the July 31, 2009 decision that reads that “any action of the armed forces undertaken without the direction by the federal government shall be unconstitutional, illegal, void ab initio and consequently of no legal effect.” The Supreme Court has done its work; now, it’s time for the government to step up and take responsibility to restore order.
At the very least, every political party and each political leader or activist who has indulged in, or even flirted with, militant politics – and a lot have – should examine their consciences. In many countries, violence of the kind we have seen in Karachi would shock the political class into collective determination to change. It is a measure of how damaged Pakistani politics has now become that it is hard to expect any such thing. A responsible government would not treat violence of the kind Karachi is experiencing with this level of indifference. There have to be collective and creative political responses. Because the public is tired of the chaos. And the public chooses the government. Be careful what you wish for.
Afrasiab wants MQM declared terror-outfit
President of Awami National Party (ANP) Khyber Pakthukhwa Afrasiab Khattak said Saturday the government and Supreme Court should declare the MQM a terrorist organisation and put restrictions on it, Geo News reported.
Speaking during a news conference Khattak responded to the allegations MQM chief Altaf Hussain leveled against the ANP. Khattak said the ANP was not the creation of the mafia or a gang and that Hussain’s hands were soaked with the blood of Pakhtuns.
Speaking on the carnage, which took place in Karachi on May 12, 2007, Khattak said the situation in the city would not improve unless there was an investigation into incidents, which took place on that day. He added that they would not be satisfied until those behind the carnage were caught.
Khattak added that Hussain had no answer to accusations made against him and his party by Zulfiqar Mirza.
Speaking during a news conference Khattak responded to the allegations MQM chief Altaf Hussain leveled against the ANP. Khattak said the ANP was not the creation of the mafia or a gang and that Hussain’s hands were soaked with the blood of Pakhtuns.
Speaking on the carnage, which took place in Karachi on May 12, 2007, Khattak said the situation in the city would not improve unless there was an investigation into incidents, which took place on that day. He added that they would not be satisfied until those behind the carnage were caught.
Khattak added that Hussain had no answer to accusations made against him and his party by Zulfiqar Mirza.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
MQM pioneered extortion in Karachi
Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Asma Jahangir said on Tuesday that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) introduced extortion in Karachi. During the proceedings of the case in the Supreme Court, she stated that the party had a huge terrorists network, which had been creating havoc for the last 10 years, but no action was taken against it. “MQM is the inventor of the extortion while other parties followed it,” Asma said. She said that the court would have to assess its jurisdiction otherwise the people might say in the future that the Supreme Court should also have proceedings in Waziristan. To this, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry replied: “If she gives support then the court will also go to Waziristan.” Later, talking to the media, she said that several political parties, including the banned religious organisations, were involved in collecting extortion from businessmen, traders and industrialists of Karachi, while the law enforcement agencies had names and addresses of target killers and criminals. Jahangir was also critical of PEMRA, stating it was only taking action against misreporting about the government, the MQM and the army.
Twenty-two Killed, Many Injured in Quetta Blasts
The Baloch Hal News
FC Colonel and DIG’s Wife Among Dead in Quetta Blasts
At least twenty-two people, including two women and three personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC), have been killed and several injured in twine blasts in Quetta city on Wednesday morning, hospital sources confirmed.
Some officials said the blasts were suicidal.
The injured included ten personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC).
According to initial reports, two bomb blats took place in Quetta’s highly-guarded area near the Commissioner Office and district courts on Wednesday morning.
A state of emergency has been declared in Quetta’s Civil Hospital where around thirty injured people have been shifted. The dead included a woman, two children and three personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC).
Sources said there was a scarcity of doctors and medical staff at the hospital which was causing serious problems for the victims of the blasts. Because of lack of staff and facilities at the Quetta Civil Hospital, some of the victims have been shifted to the Combined Military Hospital and Bolan Medical College Hospital.
Police said it was premature to say whether the actual target was Quetta Commissioner or house of the Inspector General of the Frontier Corps (FC). The attacks badly damaged IG FC’s house.
No group has accepted responsibility for the twine blasts.
The attackers had used a van and a motorcycle for the attack. The bomb disposal squad has reached the area and begun initial investigations.
A car bomb blast on Eid day in Quetta at a Shia Eidgha had killed ten people.
FC Colonel and DIG’s Wife Among Dead in Quetta Blasts
At least twenty-two people, including two women and three personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC), have been killed and several injured in twine blasts in Quetta city on Wednesday morning, hospital sources confirmed.
Some officials said the blasts were suicidal.
The injured included ten personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC).
According to initial reports, two bomb blats took place in Quetta’s highly-guarded area near the Commissioner Office and district courts on Wednesday morning.
A state of emergency has been declared in Quetta’s Civil Hospital where around thirty injured people have been shifted. The dead included a woman, two children and three personnel of the Frontier Corps (FC).
Sources said there was a scarcity of doctors and medical staff at the hospital which was causing serious problems for the victims of the blasts. Because of lack of staff and facilities at the Quetta Civil Hospital, some of the victims have been shifted to the Combined Military Hospital and Bolan Medical College Hospital.
Police said it was premature to say whether the actual target was Quetta Commissioner or house of the Inspector General of the Frontier Corps (FC). The attacks badly damaged IG FC’s house.
No group has accepted responsibility for the twine blasts.
The attackers had used a van and a motorcycle for the attack. The bomb disposal squad has reached the area and begun initial investigations.
A car bomb blast on Eid day in Quetta at a Shia Eidgha had killed ten people.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Obama to propose $300 billion to jump-start jobs
The economy weak and the public seething, President Barack Obama
is expected to propose $300 billion in tax cuts and federal spending Thursday night to get Americans working again. Republicans offered Tuesday to compromise with him on jobs — but also assailed his plans in advance of his prime-time speech.
In effect, Obama will be hitting cleanup on a shortened holiday week, with Republican White House contender Mitt Romney releasing his jobs proposals on Tuesday and front-running Texas Gov. Rick Perry hoping to join his presidential rivals Wednesday evening on a nationally televised debate stage for the first time.
Lawmakers began returning to the Capitol to tackle legislation on jobs and federal deficits in an unforgiving political season spiced by the 2012 presidential campaign.
Adding to the mix: A bipartisan congressional committee is slated to hold its first public meeting on Thursday as it embarks on a quest for deficit cuts of $1.2 trillion or more over a decade. If there is no agreement, automatic spending cuts will take effect, a prospect that lawmakers in both parties have said they would like to avoid.
According to people familiar with the White House deliberations, two of the biggest measures in the president's proposals for 2012 are expected to be a one-year extension of a payroll tax cut for workers and an extension of expiring jobless benefits. Together those two would total about $170 billion.
The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because the plan was still being finalized and some proposals could still be subject to change.
The White House is also considering a tax credit for businesses that hire the unemployed. That could cost about $30 billion. Obama has also called for public works projects, such as school construction. Advocates of that plan have called for spending of $50 billion, but the White House proposal is expected to be smaller.
Obama also is expected to continue for one year a tax break for businesses that allows them to deduct the full value of new equipment. The president and Congress negotiated that provision into law for 2011 last December.
Though Obama has said he intends to propose long-term deficit reduction measures to cover the up-front costs of his jobs plan, White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama would not lay out a wholesale deficit reduction plan in his speech.
In a letter to Obama on Tuesday, House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor outlined possible areas for compromise on jobs legislation. Separately, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said last month's unemployment report — it showed a painfully persistent 9.1 percent jobless rate and no net gain of jobs — "should be a wakeup call to every member of Congress."
Whatever the potential for eventual compromise on the issue at the top of the public's agenda, the finger pointing was already under way.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell predicted Obama's Thursday night speech to Congress on jobs legislation would include "more of the same failed approach that's only made things worse over the past few years."
He spoke a few moments after Reid had said that Republicans, rather than working with Democrats to create job-creating legislation, insist on "reckless cuts to hurt our economic recovery."
The Senate returned to Capitol Hill on Tuesday after an August recess. The House comes back Wednesday.
Left largely ignored in the latest political remarks was a remarkable run of late-summer polls that show the country souring on Obama's performance — and on Congress' even more.
A Washington Post-ABC survey released Monday found that 60 percent of those polled expressed disapproval of Obama's handling of the economy. Thirty-four percent said his proposals were making the situation worse and 47 percent said they were having no effect — dismal soundings for a president headed into a re-election campaign.
Only 19 percent said the country was moving in the right direction.
Not that Republicans, or Congress as a whole, are in good odor with the voters.
The Post-ABC News poll found only 28 percent approval for the job the Republicans are doing, and 68 percent disapproval.
An AP-GfK survey last month put overall support for Congress at 12 percent — the lowest level ever in the survey's history.
The tea party has also been hurt, according to the same poll, which found that 32 percent of those surveyed have a deeply unfavorable impression of the movement that helped give Republicans control of the House in the 2010 elections.
In their letter to Obama, Boehner and Cantor wrote that neither party would win all it wants from the coming debate over jobs legislation. "We should not approach this as an all-or-nothing situation," they said, striking a conciliatory tone in the first moments of a post-summer session of Congress.
But it was unclear what, if any, concessions they were prepared to make.
"We are not opposed to initiatives to repair and improve infrastructure," they wrote, saying they favor repeal of a current requirement for 10 percent of highway funds to be spent on items such as museums or bike trails.
But they did not say they would support any additional funding for construction, and aides declined to provide any additional details.
Boehner and Cantor also said the House was ready to pass free trade agreements negotiated with Colombia, Panama and South Korea measures, which they noted the White House estimates would create 250,000 jobs.
The administration wants the trade deals approved simultaneously with legislation to provide job training and other benefits for workers who lose their job to imports, and the letter from the Republican leaders promised they would consider such measures rather than pledging to pass them.
There was maneuvering on another front during the day.
Democrats won approval in a Senate subcommittee for legislation adding $6 billion in spending to pay victims of Hurricane Irene and past disasters dating to Hurricane Katrina, including $4 billion for the 2012 budget year.
Republicans did not object, even though the legislation did not include other cuts to offset the cost and the new spending would exceed levels permitted in a sweeping compromise passed last month to cut future deficits by nearly $1 trillion over a decade.
It is unclear when the measure will come to the Senate floor, and whether Republicans will attempt to offset the increase when it does.
In comments in recent weeks, Cantor has said any increase must be offset.
For his part, Romney chose Nevada, where unemployment stood at a nationwide high of 12.9 percent in July, for a campaign speech in which he outlined numerous proposals to create jobs.
He called for lowering the maximum corporate tax from 35 percent to 25 percent and abolishing the tax on dividends and investment earnings for anyone making less than $200,000 a year. He also said any new government regulation that raises costs for businesses should be accompanied by other steps to reduce the burden by an identical amount.
"America should be a job machine, jobs being created all the time," he said.
The elements Romney outlined — lower taxes and less regulation — are the same as those advanced by Republicans in Congress.
McConnell said Republicans "will spend the next weeks and months arguing in favor of a robust legislation agenda aimed at blocking or repealing some of the most pernicious rules and regulations."
Norway freezes Afghanistan aid: Report
Norway is blocking payments of 300 million crowns ($55.2 million) in aid to Afghanistan until issues surrounding the collapse of the country's biggest private lender, Kabulbank, are resolved, a Norwegian newspaper said on Tuesday.
Kabulbank collapsed last year with outstanding loans of about $926 million, and was later taken over by Afghanistan's central bank and split into two. The International Monetary Fund and the Afghan government are at loggerheads over how to wind up the bank, recover lost assets and strengthen the sector. The impasse has delayed tens of millions of dollars in aid.
In an interview with Norwegian daily Dagens Naeringsliv, deputy Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said the Afghan authorities' failure to provide good governance was one of the biggest problems for Norway in Afghanistan."If Afghan authorities and the IMF do not find a solution, we will not go back to business as usual," he said. "We will in that case find other solutions."
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has withheld a scheduled payment of $70 million from the World Bank-administered Afghan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF).
Afghanistan relies on foreign aid for around 90 percent of its spending but many international donors say they are reluctant to channel aid through the country's ministries because of a lack of capacity and corruption.
U.S. pulls back from lead role in conflicts: IISS
A war-weary United States will increasingly look for regional solutions to regional problems, playing a secondary "enabling" role in conflicts similar to the one it played in Libya, an influential think-tank said on Tuesday.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said U.S. leadership was giving way to a world where "rotating coalitions of the willing and available," sometimes without the United States, would address international crises.
The conduct of the air campaign in Libya, where the United States took a back seat in military operations led by its NATO allies Britain and France, could be a pointer to the future, the London-based security research body said.
"The (U.S.) choice in Libya was to be a 'super-enabler' of a European operation with Arab support. These inclinations signal the dawning of a period when 'regional solutions to regional problems' becomes ... a central aspiration of U.S. strategic policy," IISS Director-General John Chipman said, presenting the think-tank's annual "Strategic Survey."
U.S. warplanes took part in early attacks on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's air defenses but pulled back to a supporting role after NATO took control of operations.
President Barack Obama faced resistance in Washington to getting involved in a third conflict in the Muslim world in addition to the costly, unpopular wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Obama and the people around him do really believe that America's long-term role can only be sustainable if we are not doing everything, if we are in a position of being an enabler," said Dana Allin, an IISS expert on U.S. foreign policy.
American and European preoccupation with domestic economic problems had created wider uncertainties over international leadership, the IISS said.
STRATEGIC ARTHRITIS
"There is a sense that the West is suffering from strategic arthritis and exhaustion (and) the rising powers of the East from strategic growth pains and indecision," Chipman said.
"The room for mavericks and rogues to maneuver for their own gain is thus expanded," he said without naming any.
The IISS said war fatigue would shape the U.S. approach to international crises in the medium term.
Ten years after the September 11 attacks triggered a "war on terror," the West's appetite to take military action was lower than it had been for generations, the IISS report said.
The case for "liberal interventionism" could still be made -- as it was in Libya -- but calls for it had to be loud and the cause almost perfect for it to happen.
Obama's approach in Afghanistan "in effect to drop the ambitious counter-insurgency strategy, withdraw forces and prioritize a political solution, will be seen as signaling the end of a decade-long U.S. interventionist policy," Chipman said.
The United States is withdrawing 33,000 of 100,000 troops in Afghanistan by the end of next summer, aiming to hand lead security responsibility to Afghan forces by the end of 2014.
More than 1,600 U.S. soldiers have died in the 10-year war which has cost nearly $450 billion, according to the Congressional Research Service.
Europe's strategic ambitions had been crippled by its weak economic performance, the IISS report said. Defense budgets were being cut and Europe's political leadership was having to put its financial house together again, it said.
The IISS said revolts in Arab countries would not necessarily lead to the spread of democracy in the region.
"The transitions that have taken place so far remain half-baked and the promise of more democratic outcomes remains laced with the risk that sects, military institutions or other groups might still hijack the process," Chipman warned.
Pakistan arrests senior Al-Qaeda leader
The Pakistani army says it's arrested a senior al-Qaeda leader, who was mainly responsible for planning and conducting international operations. A Pakistani general says the operation was conducted with assistance from the CIA.
Al Mauritani was nabbed, along with two other senior al-Qaeda operatives, in the suburbs of the southwestern city, of Quetta. He'd been tasked personally by Osama bin Laden to focus on targets of economical importance in the US, Europe and Australia. Police say Al Mauritani was planning to target US economic interests including gas and oil pipelines and power generating dams.
Al Mauritani was nabbed, along with two other senior al-Qaeda operatives, in the suburbs of the southwestern city, of Quetta. He'd been tasked personally by Osama bin Laden to focus on targets of economical importance in the US, Europe and Australia. Police say Al Mauritani was planning to target US economic interests including gas and oil pipelines and power generating dams.
Nationalists “Concerned” to See LeT, JeM Leaders in Baloch Districts
http://www.thebalochhal.com
A central spokesman of the Baloch National Front (BNF) has expressed serious concern over the frequency of what it called visits by Punjabi Islamic extremist leaders and activists affiliated to the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad in Baloch districts.
A official statement issued by BNF said Punjabi religious fanatics belonging to banned groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and Jaish-e-Muhammad were regularly visiting from Lahore and Karachi to the Baloch districts of Chagai and Dalbandin.
“These Islamic extremists are linked with Pakistani spy agencies who come to collect funds and recruit fighters from Baloch districts in order to counter the Baloch nationalist movement,” said a BNF spokesman. He said for the past seven days, the number of such visitors had dramatically increased which cast doubts in the minds of the Baloch nationalists about their actual motivations.
“We urge all the Baloch religious leaders not to welcome these Jihadi elements in Baloch districts.” the spokesman warned, “they should distance themselves from these hardliners who come from Karachi and Lahore.”
A central spokesman of the Baloch National Front (BNF) has expressed serious concern over the frequency of what it called visits by Punjabi Islamic extremist leaders and activists affiliated to the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad in Baloch districts.
A official statement issued by BNF said Punjabi religious fanatics belonging to banned groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and Jaish-e-Muhammad were regularly visiting from Lahore and Karachi to the Baloch districts of Chagai and Dalbandin.
“These Islamic extremists are linked with Pakistani spy agencies who come to collect funds and recruit fighters from Baloch districts in order to counter the Baloch nationalist movement,” said a BNF spokesman. He said for the past seven days, the number of such visitors had dramatically increased which cast doubts in the minds of the Baloch nationalists about their actual motivations.
“We urge all the Baloch religious leaders not to welcome these Jihadi elements in Baloch districts.” the spokesman warned, “they should distance themselves from these hardliners who come from Karachi and Lahore.”
No Strategy to Combat Sectarianism in Balochistan
Editorial:The Baloch Hal
It is a shame that the government of Balochistan does not have an official strategy to grapple with the menace of sectarian terrorism. The province is experiencing an upsurge in violent attacks targeting members of the Hazara community and Shia minority sect of Islam from Sunni militant groups operating inside Balochistan with absolute impunity.
The failure of the provincial government to firstly acknowledge the seriousness of the matter and then to weed out sectarianism is highly depressing. This implicitly shows that the PPP-led coalition government in Balochistan is not bothered by the brutal killings of innocent people by religious fanatics. One reason for deliberately snubbing the issue is probably the PPP does not want to irk its right-wing ally, the Jammiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI). As luck would have it, our intelligence agencies and anti-terrorism units are also notorious for running a covert love-affair with Sunnia Jihadists.
The fresh attack on Shia mosque on the Eid day killed at least eleven people. All the victims were Shias and most of them belonged to the Hazara tribe. As usual, the governor and the chief minister of the province restricted their role in response to this heinous crime to media statements.
Moreover, the Hazra Demcoratic Party (HDP), the largest representative party of the Hazaras living in Balochistan, has vented its anger through peaceful democratic protests. As usual, the Balochistan police have failed to immure the masterminds of the terrorist attack. The perpetrators, on their part, are brazenly gaining more and more confidence and strength by the day considering the lack of official commitment to dismantle networks of religious terrorists.
The Eid tragedy struck barely a month after another callous assault on the Shia Hazaras which killed eleven people on July 30th. Earlier, two pilgrims were killed and eleven were injured when attackers suspected to have links with Sunni-militant group the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba, ambushed a bus carrying pilgrims to Iran.
According to senior journalist Zofeen Ebrahim, around 500 Hazaras have been killed and 1500 injured in the last ten years in Quetta’s sectarian war.
Before proposing a solution to this worsening problem, one needs to understand a few basic facts.
The sectarian war in Balochistan is predominantly centered in and around Quetta, the provincial capital. There are very few Shias living outside Quetta in the districts of Sibi, Bolan and Loralai. Most of the Shias in Quetta belong to Hazara ethnic community but every Shia is not a Hazara. That said, there are Shias in Balochistan whose ethnic origin maybe Punjabi, Khandari or Kashmiri. There is no declared ethnic war against the Hazras. Instead, it is a declared war by the Sunni militant group against the Shias.
The Sunni militants use all tactics to pursue their agenda. They shoot individuals, ; carry out suicide bomb blasts on religious processions and mosques and detonate remote-controlled blasts.
The sectarian war, which began 1980s during the age of Isamization patronized by former military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq, has targeted the bulk of the Shia community which comprises of doctors, lawyers, politicians following Shia school of thought but hailing from assorted ethnic backgrounds have been victims of this cycle of violence.The biggest victim of this organized crime are the Hazaras.
We fully understand how much the Hazara community has suffered because of this war but this still does not qualify as an “ethnic war”. Ethnic tensions erupt only when two or more than two ethnic groups, not religious communities, clash each other.
The underground Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which is responsible for almost all of these tragic attacks, does not have any ethnic agenda. Its is the unacceptable goal of driving all the Shias of out of the country by employing violent means.
At the same time, we have seen a more disturbing trend: Hazaras getting agitated with the use of the term “Shia-Hazara”. While members of the HDP and many Hazara professionals are all secular, many of them now get offended by being ghettoized by the media as “Shias”. We live in bad times when moderate and progressive people take pride in introducing themselves as ‘non-nonpracticing’ and ‘secular’ members of a particular community because nobody loves extremists these days.
Nonetheless, let’s be clear that there is nothing wrong with being a Shia as there is nothing wrong with being a Sunni. A lot of progressive Hazaras will not be doing a favor to their brethren practicing Shias by disassociating themselves from those who are killed merely because of what they believe in. Disassociating from one’s ancestral religion is a personal choice but it is not a long-term solution to the problem we are faced with.
The idea of secularism is not based on the total rejection of religion. It is an idea which simply separates religion from the state. In a secular culture, everyone would and should be allowed to practice their religion freely without ridiculing the other’s beliefs. It is not a ‘lesser crime’ to kill a Shia because they practice a different sect of Islam and a ‘greater crime’ to kill a progressive and secular Hazara democratic. The challenge we are confronted with as a society is intolerance based on religion. It is the responsibility all members of the society to discourage hatred on the name of religion.
The role of secular political parties such as the Pakistan People’s Party, Balochistan National Party, the National Party, Pashtunkhawa Milli Awami Party, Awami National Party and Jamori Watan Party (JWP), to protest against sectarian killings has not been very forthcoming. They should take up this challenge and pressurize the Balochistan government to bring the perpetrators to book.
Quetta is too small a place for the religiously-motivated elements to hide. If the government and its secrete services commit themselves in earnestly fighting this battle, it does not take more than a few weeks to clean Balochistan from sectarian militants.
It is a shame that the government of Balochistan does not have an official strategy to grapple with the menace of sectarian terrorism. The province is experiencing an upsurge in violent attacks targeting members of the Hazara community and Shia minority sect of Islam from Sunni militant groups operating inside Balochistan with absolute impunity.
The failure of the provincial government to firstly acknowledge the seriousness of the matter and then to weed out sectarianism is highly depressing. This implicitly shows that the PPP-led coalition government in Balochistan is not bothered by the brutal killings of innocent people by religious fanatics. One reason for deliberately snubbing the issue is probably the PPP does not want to irk its right-wing ally, the Jammiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI). As luck would have it, our intelligence agencies and anti-terrorism units are also notorious for running a covert love-affair with Sunnia Jihadists.
The fresh attack on Shia mosque on the Eid day killed at least eleven people. All the victims were Shias and most of them belonged to the Hazara tribe. As usual, the governor and the chief minister of the province restricted their role in response to this heinous crime to media statements.
Moreover, the Hazra Demcoratic Party (HDP), the largest representative party of the Hazaras living in Balochistan, has vented its anger through peaceful democratic protests. As usual, the Balochistan police have failed to immure the masterminds of the terrorist attack. The perpetrators, on their part, are brazenly gaining more and more confidence and strength by the day considering the lack of official commitment to dismantle networks of religious terrorists.
The Eid tragedy struck barely a month after another callous assault on the Shia Hazaras which killed eleven people on July 30th. Earlier, two pilgrims were killed and eleven were injured when attackers suspected to have links with Sunni-militant group the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba, ambushed a bus carrying pilgrims to Iran.
According to senior journalist Zofeen Ebrahim, around 500 Hazaras have been killed and 1500 injured in the last ten years in Quetta’s sectarian war.
Before proposing a solution to this worsening problem, one needs to understand a few basic facts.
The sectarian war in Balochistan is predominantly centered in and around Quetta, the provincial capital. There are very few Shias living outside Quetta in the districts of Sibi, Bolan and Loralai. Most of the Shias in Quetta belong to Hazara ethnic community but every Shia is not a Hazara. That said, there are Shias in Balochistan whose ethnic origin maybe Punjabi, Khandari or Kashmiri. There is no declared ethnic war against the Hazras. Instead, it is a declared war by the Sunni militant group against the Shias.
The Sunni militants use all tactics to pursue their agenda. They shoot individuals, ; carry out suicide bomb blasts on religious processions and mosques and detonate remote-controlled blasts.
The sectarian war, which began 1980s during the age of Isamization patronized by former military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq, has targeted the bulk of the Shia community which comprises of doctors, lawyers, politicians following Shia school of thought but hailing from assorted ethnic backgrounds have been victims of this cycle of violence.The biggest victim of this organized crime are the Hazaras.
We fully understand how much the Hazara community has suffered because of this war but this still does not qualify as an “ethnic war”. Ethnic tensions erupt only when two or more than two ethnic groups, not religious communities, clash each other.
The underground Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which is responsible for almost all of these tragic attacks, does not have any ethnic agenda. Its is the unacceptable goal of driving all the Shias of out of the country by employing violent means.
At the same time, we have seen a more disturbing trend: Hazaras getting agitated with the use of the term “Shia-Hazara”. While members of the HDP and many Hazara professionals are all secular, many of them now get offended by being ghettoized by the media as “Shias”. We live in bad times when moderate and progressive people take pride in introducing themselves as ‘non-nonpracticing’ and ‘secular’ members of a particular community because nobody loves extremists these days.
Nonetheless, let’s be clear that there is nothing wrong with being a Shia as there is nothing wrong with being a Sunni. A lot of progressive Hazaras will not be doing a favor to their brethren practicing Shias by disassociating themselves from those who are killed merely because of what they believe in. Disassociating from one’s ancestral religion is a personal choice but it is not a long-term solution to the problem we are faced with.
The idea of secularism is not based on the total rejection of religion. It is an idea which simply separates religion from the state. In a secular culture, everyone would and should be allowed to practice their religion freely without ridiculing the other’s beliefs. It is not a ‘lesser crime’ to kill a Shia because they practice a different sect of Islam and a ‘greater crime’ to kill a progressive and secular Hazara democratic. The challenge we are confronted with as a society is intolerance based on religion. It is the responsibility all members of the society to discourage hatred on the name of religion.
The role of secular political parties such as the Pakistan People’s Party, Balochistan National Party, the National Party, Pashtunkhawa Milli Awami Party, Awami National Party and Jamori Watan Party (JWP), to protest against sectarian killings has not been very forthcoming. They should take up this challenge and pressurize the Balochistan government to bring the perpetrators to book.
Quetta is too small a place for the religiously-motivated elements to hide. If the government and its secrete services commit themselves in earnestly fighting this battle, it does not take more than a few weeks to clean Balochistan from sectarian militants.
‘Bol’ gets Indians talking
Facing stiff competition from Salman Khan’s Bodyguard on Eid, Pakistani film
Bol is managing to hold its own thanks to the word of mouth publicity.
Dealing with multiple issues ranging from misogyny to prostitution to fanaticism, Bol is director Shoaib Mansoor’s second offering after Khuda Ke Liye. Bol was released alongside mega blockbuster Bodyguard, ‘That girl in yellow boots’ and ‘Mummy Punjabi’. Unlike Khan’s masala movie, Bol offers a riveting storyline and great acting, with people publicising the film more than the PR agencies.
For starters, there is actress Vidya Balan who says, “Loved Bol! Love the performance of the father. The boy who played Saifuddin was cute. My heart went out to him.”
As one of the audience members, Tushar Pahwa, walking out after a show puts it, “Bol is a ubiquitous film- whether a Muslim family in Lahore or a Hindu family in Bihar, everyone can relate to it. Women and transgenders are disrespected in India and Pakistan both. I just hope people start to speak up after watching the movie. It was a good gift for Eid.”
Many have given the tickets to family and friends in beautiful gift envelopes as eidi. “This was my eidi to my sister The film’s message has been well received and I felt my sister must see this movie as an example,” says Shahnawaz Siddique, a shop keeper.
Film critic Taran Adarsh says, “I have a problem with the distributors of Bol, who have come up with a wrong strategy to release the film at the same time as Bodyguard. I think this was a blunder. If it were released at any other time the collections would have been much higher. The word of mouth publicity of the film is good and I would like to say that it is definitely doing better than the other two movies released the same week.”
Even the distributors are happy with the increasing popularity of Bol. Amita from the corporate communications of Eros International, the distributing company, explains, “Media across the board has liked the film and has been extremely supportive of the film. The response has been positive overall. It was the company’s strategy for a worldwide release on Eid. As for India, the numbers are still pouring in but in the middle east the film is doing very well.”
Even Salman Khan fans have expressed their liking for Bol. Pankaj Mishra, a movie buff who watched both Bodyguard and Bol on the same day explains, “There is no comparison between the two. While one is a masala movie for the masses, the other is a serious issue based film. It is sad but true that masala movies always do well in India as they are over hyped and well marketed. The real good cinema gets left behind. Bol is a brilliant film and off late Pakistani movie makers are doing a good job.”
Adarsh also emphasises the brilliance of the film, “I think it is one of the most amazing films to have come out of Pakistan. Shoaib Mansoor excelled in Khuda Ke Liye but this film has gone beyond that.”
People are already watching it twice. Sunita Sinha, another movie buff has a reason to do so, “For me the film has a strong message and inspires me to be brave. I can actually watch it again.”
The tag of a film from Pakistan is one of the main attractions. Anshu Sondhi, a film student, had to see this film as she missed out on Mansoor’s Khuda Ke Liye. She supports the film, “Bol’s concept is different and the actors are good. It gives us an insight into the Pakistani society and we Indians always want to know more about Pakistan. We want to understand the country and the people beyond what our governments want us to believe and see. Movies like Bol bring us closer to our neighbours.”
Kritika Rai, a businesswoman came to know about the film from a friend. She says, “We Indians don’t have that sense to appreciate good movies like Bol and we waste our time on watching stupid movies like Ready and Bodyguard. I think we should support good cinema whether it is from India or Pakistan.”
There is a buzz about Bol in Bollywood also. Many screenings of the film were done before its commercial release. Naseeruddin Shah, icon of Indian cinema, who was to play the role of the father in Bol, praised the film. In an interview to glamsham.com, an entertainment magazine website, he admires the film, “Bol is absolutely the kind of film that Khuda Ke Liye should be followed up by. It deals with an even more important statement like faith and empowerment of women. I have seldom seen a statement made with as much power and feeling as this film. This is yet another film to be proud of. I can only find myself wishing I was a part of this film.”
Bollywood has welcomed the movie from across the border and have supported the idea of art beyond boundaries. Samir Soni, who acted in films like Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham, Fashion and others explains, “To coexist and prosper we need to have a better understanding of each other and issues that affect us. It is only then we realise how similar we truly are and this ends fear and resentment. Cinema is perhaps the most important medium that takes you up close and personal and should not be bound by political boundaries.”
The social theme of the movie has attracted the intelligentsia. Rukmini Sen, a senior entertainment journalist, describes the film as “rebellious, brave and original”. She adds, “Bol talks about the state of third gender in Pakistan. Condition of women and third gender is pathetic in most parts of Asia so the film represents the silence of many of us. Bol deconstructs issues of sexuality and sexual identity very sensitively. It sees the issue in its larger context of patriarchy, feudalism, religion and nation state.”
The treatment of the story is much talked about. Satish Sharma, a painter by profession after watching the film appreciated the director’s strokes. “It was a joy to see how the director puts some of the old world wisdom in the right perspective. Whenever the father of the actress tried to escape a situation by quoting old quotes, she would correct him by putting his lines in the correct perspective. I thought it was intelligently handled.”
While the praises are outdoing the critics, but not all have liked the film. Babita Verma, a social worker by profession objects to the melodrama in the movie especially while dealing with real issues. “It began at some point and ended at another. The director moved away from the plot. It was not comprehensive and dragged at the end,’ disapproves Verma.”
Some have even believed the word of mouth publicity to be the truth. Karishma Kapoor, a teacher, has not seen the film based on her friend’s feedback. “I have heard it is long, technically poor and acting is bad. After this feedback I don’t think I want to go and watch the film. I will catch it on television, as it is a film from Pakistan.”
Permanent army post in Chitral demanded
International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) Goodwill Ambassador for the Pak-US Relations Aliya Harir on Monday said that keeping in view the strategic importance of Chitral, the government should establish permanent security post of army in southern and western borders of the district.
Expressing concern over the recent attacks in Chitral from across the border, Aliya Harir, who belongs to Chitral, said the recent killing of the innocent personnel of Chitral Scouts, police and border police was a matter of serious concern for all and sundry, especially for the youth of Chitral.
“I wish to appeal to the chief of International Human Right Commission to take up the matter at an appropriate level to prevent bloodshed of Chitrali people,” she told The News by phone here Monday.
She said Chitral had remained an area of peace, love and affection for Afghan refugees for more than 30 years. “Half a million people of this part of the country opened their houses for over two million Afghan refugees and accommodated them just like their own brother and sisters,” she said, adding, “May I ask Nato and Afghan National Army, how they were not aware of the mounting activities of the militants in the country.
The reports of an unusual movement of Nato helicopters across the border in Kunar province during the attacks in the area, as reported by media, need to be answered, she added. “I wish to appeal to the US to look into this continued aggression by the militants from across the border into Chitral, which is historically a peaceful land in Pakistan,” she said, adding that being a Chitrali daughter, she would appeal to the local leadership to learn a lesson from recent history and prepare security to cope with the emerging security threats in our area to maintain peace in the district.
Expressing concern over the recent attacks in Chitral from across the border, Aliya Harir, who belongs to Chitral, said the recent killing of the innocent personnel of Chitral Scouts, police and border police was a matter of serious concern for all and sundry, especially for the youth of Chitral.
“I wish to appeal to the chief of International Human Right Commission to take up the matter at an appropriate level to prevent bloodshed of Chitrali people,” she told The News by phone here Monday.
She said Chitral had remained an area of peace, love and affection for Afghan refugees for more than 30 years. “Half a million people of this part of the country opened their houses for over two million Afghan refugees and accommodated them just like their own brother and sisters,” she said, adding, “May I ask Nato and Afghan National Army, how they were not aware of the mounting activities of the militants in the country.
The reports of an unusual movement of Nato helicopters across the border in Kunar province during the attacks in the area, as reported by media, need to be answered, she added. “I wish to appeal to the US to look into this continued aggression by the militants from across the border into Chitral, which is historically a peaceful land in Pakistan,” she said, adding that being a Chitrali daughter, she would appeal to the local leadership to learn a lesson from recent history and prepare security to cope with the emerging security threats in our area to maintain peace in the district.
No ransom demand recieved: Shehryar Taseer
http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk
The family of former Governor Punjab Salman Taseer’s have refuted reports that the kidnappers have demanded Rs 2 billion ransom for the release of Shahbaz Taseer.
According to media reports, the kidnappers telephoned the family of late Salman Taseer and demanded ransom of Rs 2 billion for Shahbaz Taseer’s release, however Shehryar Taseer refuted the news item and said that they have not recieved any calls or demands for ransom.
On the other hand the private TV channel also reported that the security agencies said that the kidnappers have shifted Shahbaz Taseer to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, because the phone number of the kidnappers is from Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa.
The family of former Governor Punjab Salman Taseer’s have refuted reports that the kidnappers have demanded Rs 2 billion ransom for the release of Shahbaz Taseer.
According to media reports, the kidnappers telephoned the family of late Salman Taseer and demanded ransom of Rs 2 billion for Shahbaz Taseer’s release, however Shehryar Taseer refuted the news item and said that they have not recieved any calls or demands for ransom.
On the other hand the private TV channel also reported that the security agencies said that the kidnappers have shifted Shahbaz Taseer to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, because the phone number of the kidnappers is from Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa.
PML-N riddled by rifts over key party posts
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is holding a crucial meeting later this week to overcome growing internal differences ahead of elections to choose the party’s provincial office-bearers and chalk out a ‘decisive’ strategy to seek fresh parliamentary polls, sources said.
According to party officials, PML-N president Nawaz Sharif shortened his trip to Saudi Arabia and arrived in Pakistan on Monday to chair the meeting of key party leaders expected on coming Friday.
Some PML-N leaders, including its spokesperson Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan, however, said the meeting was scheduled for September 12.
Sharif rushed back home after one of his veteran associates from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa threatened to form a faction if he was not offered an important slot in the intra-party elections.
Saranjaam Khan, a PML-N leader from Mardan, recently said he would quit the party if his demands were not met.
Similarly, the party was also facing challenges in Sindh where Ghous Ali Shah was demanding a key post.
The party was also facing trouble choosing a provincial president out of several heavyweights in Punjab, including Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, his son Hamza, Sardar Zulfikar Khosa and Khwaja Saad Rafiq.
In July, a general council of the party elected central office-bearers, but deferred elections for provincial party post because of emerging differences.
There have been hectic efforts since then to resolve issues, but insiders said little headway has been made till now. “That is why Mian Sahib (Nawaz) himself decided to take control of things,” one party leader said.
According to party officials, PML-N president Nawaz Sharif shortened his trip to Saudi Arabia and arrived in Pakistan on Monday to chair the meeting of key party leaders expected on coming Friday.
Some PML-N leaders, including its spokesperson Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan, however, said the meeting was scheduled for September 12.
Sharif rushed back home after one of his veteran associates from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa threatened to form a faction if he was not offered an important slot in the intra-party elections.
Saranjaam Khan, a PML-N leader from Mardan, recently said he would quit the party if his demands were not met.
Similarly, the party was also facing challenges in Sindh where Ghous Ali Shah was demanding a key post.
The party was also facing trouble choosing a provincial president out of several heavyweights in Punjab, including Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, his son Hamza, Sardar Zulfikar Khosa and Khwaja Saad Rafiq.
In July, a general council of the party elected central office-bearers, but deferred elections for provincial party post because of emerging differences.
There have been hectic efforts since then to resolve issues, but insiders said little headway has been made till now. “That is why Mian Sahib (Nawaz) himself decided to take control of things,” one party leader said.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Top al Qaeda leader arrested in Pakistan
The Pakistani intelligence service has arrested a senior al Qaeda leader who sought to attack targets in the United States, Europe and Australia, the Pakistani military said Monday.
The intelligence service arrested Younis al-Mauretani and two al Qaeda associates in the suburbs of Quetta, Pakistan, the military said in a statement.
Osama bin Laden had asked al-Mauretani "to focus on hitting targets of economic importance in United States of America, Europe and Australia," with U.S. targets including gas and oil pipelines, dams and oil tankers, the statement said.
Al-Mauretani was also involved in planning multiple attacks on European countries similar to those in Mumbai, India, in 2008, European intelligence officials told CNN last year. The man at the center of the alleged al Qaeda plot, Afghan German Ahmed Sidiqui, was detained in July 2010 and told interrogators that al-Mauretani helped with planning and coordination.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest hailed the arrest.
"This is an example of the longstanding partnership between the U.S. and Pakistan in fighting terrorism, which has taken many terrorists off the battlefield over the past decade," Earnest said in a statement.
A U.S. National Security Council spokesman, Tommy Vietor, said the arrest dealt another blow to al Qaeda and added: "We applaud the actions of Pakistan's intelligence and security services that led to the capture" of a senior operative involved in planning attacks.
News of the arrest comes six days before the 10th anniversary of al Qaeda's attack on the United States, which killed nearly 3,000 people. It also comes as the United States and its allies have made major strides in its fight against al Qaeda.
A secret U.S. military operation killed bin Laden on May 2.
The following month, U.S. officials say, a drone attack in Pakistan killed Ilyas Kashmiri, a senior figure in al Qaeda described as the organization's "military brain." Kashmiri operated his own terrorist group, Harakat-ul-Jihad-Islami, or Movement for an Islamic Holy War.
In August, an apparent U.S. drone strike killed al Qaeda's second-in-command, Atiya Abdul Rahman, officials said. He had been bin Laden's operations chief and was in charge of running daily operations for al Qaeda.
However, the issue of combating terrorism also has strained U.S.-Pakistani relations over questions of autonomy and cooperation.
In Pakistan, there is a backlash against the U.S. use of unmanned drones in attacks that have killed civilians, while U.S. officials complain of a lack of full support from the Pakistani government, particularly the intelligence service. They note that bin Laden had been living in Pakistan for years, purportedly undetected, before the U.S. mission that killed him. At the same time, the secret U.S. military raid deep inside Pakistan angered and embarrassed the Pakistani government.
A senior U.S. counterterrorism official described al-Mauretani as a significant figure in the terror organization.
"This is one of al Qaeda'skey operatives, and getting him off the streets has been a top priority," the official said.
The official could not immediately confirm the arrest but said al-Mauretani has "been active in planning attacks, and threats associated withhim were partially responsible for the Europe travel alert that was issued last year. His capture would deal a major blow to the terrorist group's activities, and would be another in a string of recent wins against al Qaeda."
A senior Pakistani official said al-Mauretani "did not have any particular position in the hierarchy of al Qaeda, but he was head of external operations and was planning attacks perhaps also in Germany."
U.S. intelligence agencies provided "technical assistance" in planning and conducting the operation, the Pakistani military statement said. Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence has a "strong, historic intelligence relationship" with the U.S. agencies, it added, and the two nations continue to cooperate to enhance security.
That cooperation has resulted in the prevention of a "number of high-profile terrorist acts," not only in Pakistan and the United States but elsewhere in the world, the military statement said.
While the U.S. provided "technical leads," there were no American troops on the ground in the raid, which the Pakistani intelligence service conducted, the senior Pakistani official said.
Al-Mauretani is in Pakistani custody, the official said, and may eventually be handed over to authorities in his native Mauritania.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has said the United States "is within reach of strategically defeating al Qaeda."
"I think we have them on the run. I think now is the moment, now is the moment following what happened with bin Laden to put maximum pressure on them because I do believe that if we continue this effect that we really can cripple al Qaeda as a threat to this country," Panetta said in July.
Tiny Qatar punches above its weight
From declaring early on its support for Libya's rebels to expanding its ties with Iran, natural gas-rich Qatar is taking what are seen in the region as very bold steps around what are considered potential Middle East landmines.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
A way to keep us away from guns
THE FRONTIER POST
Interior Minister Rehman Malik had recently given 25,000 rupees cash to a boy for breaking his toy gun. This was a good gesture and a step towards bringing the long-lasting peace in the country where the street violence is on the rise.But to stop our children becoming violent characters in their teens and later age, we as parents and the government as the main body to provide a security to people must work together to finish this gun culture in the country.As always on Eid children were seen playing with toy guns of all types including shot guns, Kalashnikov, machine guns, pistols etc. Children using their Eid money on buying these guns which are easily available in even the smallest general stores in the remotest streets of the city.The parents whose children buy such guns are also equally responsible as why they allow their children to buy such toys which are a sign of violence.But at the same time, these children have little access to leisure activities. As children our parents used to take us to fairs and other events like circus which were arranged on occasions like Eid. But today hardly any such activity is being organised. Although, there are some parks where large number of people take their children to spend some time but still the activities are not enough to deviate the attention of children from playing with gun toys.Today, a toy gus is one of the most cheapest toys available in the market from Rs 20 to Rs 300 depends on the size and quality of the toy.The government must make an action plan in minimizing the sale of these toy guns if not completely ban it.On the other hand, there must be an awareness campaign in which Ulema and mosque Imams should also take part to tackle this menace.The parents on the other hand had to play their most important role in keeping their children away from the toys which are replica of the dangerous life taking weapons..
Interior Minister Rehman Malik had recently given 25,000 rupees cash to a boy for breaking his toy gun. This was a good gesture and a step towards bringing the long-lasting peace in the country where the street violence is on the rise.But to stop our children becoming violent characters in their teens and later age, we as parents and the government as the main body to provide a security to people must work together to finish this gun culture in the country.As always on Eid children were seen playing with toy guns of all types including shot guns, Kalashnikov, machine guns, pistols etc. Children using their Eid money on buying these guns which are easily available in even the smallest general stores in the remotest streets of the city.The parents whose children buy such guns are also equally responsible as why they allow their children to buy such toys which are a sign of violence.But at the same time, these children have little access to leisure activities. As children our parents used to take us to fairs and other events like circus which were arranged on occasions like Eid. But today hardly any such activity is being organised. Although, there are some parks where large number of people take their children to spend some time but still the activities are not enough to deviate the attention of children from playing with gun toys.Today, a toy gus is one of the most cheapest toys available in the market from Rs 20 to Rs 300 depends on the size and quality of the toy.The government must make an action plan in minimizing the sale of these toy guns if not completely ban it.On the other hand, there must be an awareness campaign in which Ulema and mosque Imams should also take part to tackle this menace.The parents on the other hand had to play their most important role in keeping their children away from the toys which are replica of the dangerous life taking weapons..
Thursday, September 1, 2011
U.S. Government Sues to Block AT&T, T-Mobile Merger
The Justice Department on Wednesday sued to block the proposed $39 billion merger between the cellphone giants AT&T and T-Mobile USA, arguing that keeping them separate would preserve competition in the wireless industry and even help save jobs of American workers.In a lawsuit filed in Federal District Court here, the Justice Department argued that the proposed deal, which would join the nation’s second- and fourth-largest wireless phone carriers, would result in higher prices and give consumers fewer innovative products. The companies disputed those assertions, and labor unions that support the deal said that the merger would add jobs, not cost them.
“The view that this administration has is that through innovation and through competition, we create jobs,” said James M. Cole, the deputy attorney general, at a news conference announcing the lawsuit. Mergers usually reduce jobs through the elimination of redundancies, he said, “so we see this as a move that will help protect jobs in the economy, not a move that is going in any way to reduce them.”
The lawsuit, which could take years to wind its way through the courts, sets up a prominent antitrust battle — a rarity since the election of President Obama, who campaigned with promises to revitalize the Justice Department’s policing of mergers and their effects on competition, which he said had declined significantly under the Bush administration.
AT&T said it would fight the lawsuit. “We plan to ask for an expedited hearing so the enormous benefits of this merger can be fully reviewed,” Wayne Watts, an executive vice president and general counsel at AT&T, said in a statement. “The D.O.J. has the burden of proving alleged anticompetitive effects, and we intend to vigorously contest this matter in court.”
Deutsche Telekom, the German parent of T-Mobile USA, said that the Justice Department “failed to acknowledge the robust competition in the U.S. wireless telecommunications industry and the tremendous efficiencies associated with the proposed transaction, which would lead to significant customer, shareholder and public benefits.”
AT&T has been actively involved in discussions with both the Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission since the proposal was announced in March. The company has indicated that it would consider divestitures or other business actions to allow the deal to go forward.
But Justice Department officials said that those discussions led it to believe that it would be difficult to arrange conditions under which the merger could proceed. “Unless this merger is blocked, competition and innovation will be reduced, and consumers will suffer,” said Sharis A. Pozen, acting assistant attorney general in charge of the antitrust division. Offering AT&T only a glimmer of hope, she added that the department’s “door is open” to discuss possible remedies.
Both the F.C.C. and the Justice Department would need to approve the merger, and though they consider a proposed combination on different scales, they usually reach the same conclusion. The F.C.C., which has never approved a significant merger that the Justice Department is challenging in court, hinted that it was leaning in the same direction of blocking the AT&T deal with T-Mobile.
“Competition is an essential component of the F.C.C.’s statutory public interest analysis,” said Julius Genachowski, the F.C.C. chairman. “Although our process is not complete, the record before this agency also raises serious concerns about the impact of the proposed transaction on competition.”
Consumer advocacy groups cheered the administration’s move. “This announcement is something for consumers to celebrate,” said Parul P. Desai, the policy counsel for Consumers Union. “We have consistently warned that eliminating T-Mobile as a low-cost option will raise prices, lower choices and turn the cellular market into a duopoly controlled by AT&T and Verizon.”
Harold Feld, legal director of Public Knowledge, a nonprofit group, said that “fighting this job-killing merger is the best Labor Day present anyone can give the American people.” Labor groups, however, have generally supported the merger, in part because a substantial number of AT&T employees are members of the Communication Workers of America, while T-Mobile is a largely nonunion company.
Mr. Cole said the department thought that an independent T-Mobile would be more likely to expand its business and add jobs, while mergers often eliminate jobs.
Critics have faulted the Obama administration for not doing more to block big corporate mergers. Those involving Comcast and NBC Universal, Ticketmaster and Live Nation, and United and Continental Airlines were all approved with conditions attached.But the challenge to the merger makes the future of an independent T-Mobile more of a question than before the deal was announced. Deutsche Telekom has said it does not want to continue to invest in the American wireless market, preferring to focus on the growth of its telecommunications business in Europe.
Before AT&T announced plans to buy T-Mobile, there was consistent speculation that a merger between T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel, the third-largest provider, was in the works. But such a deal seems unlikely in light of the arguments mustered by the Justice Department against the AT&T deal.
Those arguments include the assertion that a combination that took the number of nationwide wireless phone providers down to three from four would harm competition, because the four nationwide service providers already account for more than 90 percent of the mobile wireless connections nationwide.
The proposed merger has been a topic of robust debate in Congress, where both houses have held committee hearings on the merger. At one of them in May, Randall L. Stephenson, the chief executive of AT&T, tried to convince lawmakers that AT&T and T-Mobile should not even be considered as competitors.
He later abandoned that assertion, going back to the company’s main point: While the two companies are competitors, plenty of other competition exists in local wireless markets, with most potential customers having a choice among at least five providers.
“Certain critics may attempt to create a myth that only a few national competitors exist, but wireless competition occurs primarily on the local level,” Mr. Stephenson said.
The Justice Department turned some of AT&T’s own statements against it, however. “As AT&T acknowledged less than three years ago during a merger proceeding,” referring to AT&T’s acquisition of Centennial Wireless, “it aims to ‘develop its rate plans, features and prices in response to competitive conditions and offerings at the national levels — primarily the plans offered by the other national carriers,’ ” the Justice Department said in its lawsuit. “As AT&T recognized, ‘the predominant forces driving competition among wireless carriers operate at the national level.’ That remains the case today.”
Kazakh president wants tougher laws to counter extremism
The spread of religious extremism threatens stability in mainly Muslim Kazakhstan, President Nursultan Nazarbayev said on Thursday, urging parliament to adopt tougher laws on migration and religious activity.
Oil-producing Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest and most successful economy, has only recently witnessed outbursts of militant Islam experienced by other former Soviet states in the vast region bordering Afghanistan.
In a rare official admission, Kazakh prosecutors in the western Atyrau region said on Wednesday a group of extremists planning “acts of terror” had been detained.
“The parliament has to consider adopting a law on religious activity,” Nazarbayev told a session of parliament, which is composed solely of deputies of his ruling Nur Otan Party.
“The talk is not about banning the freedom of conscience. No. It is about protecting the state from religious extremism.”
Muslims make up 70 percent of Kazakhstan’s 16.5-million population, and Nazarbayev said Kazakhstan had to tighten control over its borders. He did not mention any specific countries which may pose a threat.
“Whoever wants may come here, whoever wants may open a mosque and name it after his father. No one knows what these mosques are really doing, no one has approved (their opening),” he said. “But, as a state, we should put our home in order.”
Radical Islam, fuelled by widespread poverty, is on the rise in the fertile but overpopulated Ferghana Valley where former Soviet Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan share borders.
Official repression further inflames popular discontent in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, while ethnic riots in Kyrgyzstan in June 2010 temporarily displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
Nazarbayev, whose steppe nation is a major exporter of grain and flour, said he shared concerns by the United Nations that food shortages in the surrounding region could increase the risk of illegal migration, epidemics and “other conflicts”.
A 71-year-old former steelworker who in Soviet days rose to prominence through the Communist Party, Nazarbayev has ruled Kazakhstan for more than two decades and says preserving stability in his multi-ethnic nation is his main achievement.
He has put in place rapid market reforms and attracted billions of dollars in foreign investment, mainly in the energy and metals sectors.
But at the same time human rights groups and the West have criticized Kazakhstan’s record on democracy, pointing to rigid state control of the media and little tolerance of dissent.
Oil-producing Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest and most successful economy, has only recently witnessed outbursts of militant Islam experienced by other former Soviet states in the vast region bordering Afghanistan.
In a rare official admission, Kazakh prosecutors in the western Atyrau region said on Wednesday a group of extremists planning “acts of terror” had been detained.
“The parliament has to consider adopting a law on religious activity,” Nazarbayev told a session of parliament, which is composed solely of deputies of his ruling Nur Otan Party.
“The talk is not about banning the freedom of conscience. No. It is about protecting the state from religious extremism.”
Muslims make up 70 percent of Kazakhstan’s 16.5-million population, and Nazarbayev said Kazakhstan had to tighten control over its borders. He did not mention any specific countries which may pose a threat.
“Whoever wants may come here, whoever wants may open a mosque and name it after his father. No one knows what these mosques are really doing, no one has approved (their opening),” he said. “But, as a state, we should put our home in order.”
Radical Islam, fuelled by widespread poverty, is on the rise in the fertile but overpopulated Ferghana Valley where former Soviet Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan share borders.
Official repression further inflames popular discontent in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, while ethnic riots in Kyrgyzstan in June 2010 temporarily displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
Nazarbayev, whose steppe nation is a major exporter of grain and flour, said he shared concerns by the United Nations that food shortages in the surrounding region could increase the risk of illegal migration, epidemics and “other conflicts”.
A 71-year-old former steelworker who in Soviet days rose to prominence through the Communist Party, Nazarbayev has ruled Kazakhstan for more than two decades and says preserving stability in his multi-ethnic nation is his main achievement.
He has put in place rapid market reforms and attracted billions of dollars in foreign investment, mainly in the energy and metals sectors.
But at the same time human rights groups and the West have criticized Kazakhstan’s record on democracy, pointing to rigid state control of the media and little tolerance of dissent.
Clinton heads to Paris to sound out Libya rebels on transition needs
AFP
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left Wednesday for international talks in Paris aimed at sounding out Libyan rebels on what US officials call their “enormous” needs in establishing a new government.
What is at stake, US officials say, is how well the rebels bring security to the capital Tripoli and other war-torn areas, restore services such as water, deal with fallen but fugitive strongman Muammar Qaddafi, and prepare for democratic rule.
The “credibility” of the National Transitional Council (NTC), the political umbrella for the rebels, rests on such achievements, a senior US official told reporters on the condition of anonymity.
The NTC is recognized by the US and dozens of other countries as Libya’s interim governing authority. Clinton’s participation in what has been dubbed the “Friends of Libya” conference comes as the rebels, following a six-month armed revolt, try to wipe out the last pockets of resistance from Qaddafi loyalists.
US officials say the conference, broader than the preceding “Libya Contact Group” meetings, will hear a report from the NTC on its needs in the areas of governance, security, humanitarian aid, and economic reconstruction.
Urgent needs in Tripoli – where Qaddafi forces were overrun in fierce battles more than a week ago – are water, food, gasoline and electricity, officials say.
“The needs are enormous. Qaddafi has left them ... with a shattered country,” the US official said.
Having called for $5 billion, the NTC will likely press for more funds after $3.1 billion in Libyan assets frozen in the US and Britain were released in the last two weeks by decisions at the United Nations.
The funds will pay for UN programs, energy bills, health, education and food, as well as to pay the salaries of public sector workers over the Eid holiday to mark the end of the Ramadan fasting month.
US officials said the international community expects to focus more on releasing frozen assets and helping revive Libya’s oil industry rather than drum up support from donor countries.
“I don’t expect there’s going to be a huge donor type issue,” the senior US official said. However, he said it might be necessary to arrange bridge loans via the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund in order to rebuild the country’s infrastructure.
The official said there were still threats to peace and stability in Libya as Qaddafi loyalists have holed up in both Sirte, Qaddafi’s hometown, and Sabha, the desert stronghold of the Libyan leader’s clan.
Qaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam on Wednesday warned in an audio message on a Syria-based television channel against a rebel attack on Sirte. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Qaddafi, Seif al-Islam and another son remain unknown.
“You have Qaddafi and two of his most dangerous sons, Mutassim and Seif, still at large. That in any distance would pose a danger,” the US official said.
Seif al-Islam said on Wednesday that he was still in Tripoli and that the fight against rebels who captured the capital last week would go on. In London, ITV News reported that British special forces soldiers are in Libya hunting for Qaddafi, who they believe is still in the country after neighboring Algeria denied him entry.
US officials will also sound out the rebels on their plans for a political transformation they hope will be inclusive and democratic. NTC chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil promised on August 16 to hand over power to an elected assembly within eight months of the collapse of Qaddafi’s regime, as he sketched out the country’s path to democracy.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton left Wednesday for international talks in Paris aimed at sounding out Libyan rebels on what US officials call their “enormous” needs in establishing a new government.
What is at stake, US officials say, is how well the rebels bring security to the capital Tripoli and other war-torn areas, restore services such as water, deal with fallen but fugitive strongman Muammar Qaddafi, and prepare for democratic rule.
The “credibility” of the National Transitional Council (NTC), the political umbrella for the rebels, rests on such achievements, a senior US official told reporters on the condition of anonymity.
The NTC is recognized by the US and dozens of other countries as Libya’s interim governing authority. Clinton’s participation in what has been dubbed the “Friends of Libya” conference comes as the rebels, following a six-month armed revolt, try to wipe out the last pockets of resistance from Qaddafi loyalists.
US officials say the conference, broader than the preceding “Libya Contact Group” meetings, will hear a report from the NTC on its needs in the areas of governance, security, humanitarian aid, and economic reconstruction.
Urgent needs in Tripoli – where Qaddafi forces were overrun in fierce battles more than a week ago – are water, food, gasoline and electricity, officials say.
“The needs are enormous. Qaddafi has left them ... with a shattered country,” the US official said.
Having called for $5 billion, the NTC will likely press for more funds after $3.1 billion in Libyan assets frozen in the US and Britain were released in the last two weeks by decisions at the United Nations.
The funds will pay for UN programs, energy bills, health, education and food, as well as to pay the salaries of public sector workers over the Eid holiday to mark the end of the Ramadan fasting month.
US officials said the international community expects to focus more on releasing frozen assets and helping revive Libya’s oil industry rather than drum up support from donor countries.
“I don’t expect there’s going to be a huge donor type issue,” the senior US official said. However, he said it might be necessary to arrange bridge loans via the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund in order to rebuild the country’s infrastructure.
The official said there were still threats to peace and stability in Libya as Qaddafi loyalists have holed up in both Sirte, Qaddafi’s hometown, and Sabha, the desert stronghold of the Libyan leader’s clan.
Qaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam on Wednesday warned in an audio message on a Syria-based television channel against a rebel attack on Sirte. Meanwhile, the whereabouts of Qaddafi, Seif al-Islam and another son remain unknown.
“You have Qaddafi and two of his most dangerous sons, Mutassim and Seif, still at large. That in any distance would pose a danger,” the US official said.
Seif al-Islam said on Wednesday that he was still in Tripoli and that the fight against rebels who captured the capital last week would go on. In London, ITV News reported that British special forces soldiers are in Libya hunting for Qaddafi, who they believe is still in the country after neighboring Algeria denied him entry.
US officials will also sound out the rebels on their plans for a political transformation they hope will be inclusive and democratic. NTC chairman Mustafa Abdel Jalil promised on August 16 to hand over power to an elected assembly within eight months of the collapse of Qaddafi’s regime, as he sketched out the country’s path to democracy.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
'Anti-cancer virus' shows promise
An engineered virus, injected into the blood, can selectively target cancer cells throughout the body in what researchers have labelled a medical first.
The virus attacked only tumours, leaving the healthy tissue alone, in a small trial on 23 patients, according to the journal Nature.
Researchers said the findings could one day "truly transform" therapies.
Cancer specialists said using viruses showed "real promise".
Using viruses to attack cancers is not a new concept, but they have needed to be injected directly into tumours in order to evade the immune system.
Smallpox to cancer
Scientists modified the vaccinia virus, which is more famous for being used to develop a smallpox vaccine.
The virus, named JX-594, is dependent upon a chemical pathway, common in some cancers, in order to replicate.
It was injected at different doses into the blood of 23 patients with cancers which had spread to multiple organs in the body.In the eight patients receiving the highest dose, seven had the virus replicating in their tumours, but not in healthy tissue.
Prof John Bell, lead researcher and from the University of Ottawa, said: "We are very excited because this is the first time in medical history that a viral therapy has been shown to consistently and selectively replicate in cancer tissue after intravenous infusion in humans.
"Intravenous delivery is crucial for cancer treatment because it allows us to target tumours throughout the body as opposed to just those that we can directly inject."
Infection prevented further tumour growth in six patients for a time. However, the virus did not cure cancer. Patients were given only one dose of the virus as the trial was designed to test the safety of the virus.
It is thought that the virus could be used to deliver treatments directly to cancerous cells in high concentrations.
Prof Bell acknowledges that the research is still in the very early stages, but he said: "I believe that some day, viruses and other biological therapies could truly transform our approach for treating cancer."
Cancer Research UK's Prof Nick Lemoine, also director of Barts Cancer Institute, said: "Viruses that multiply in just tumour cells - avoiding healthy cells - are showing real promise as a new biological approach to target hard-to-treat cancers.
"This new study is important because it shows that a virus previously used safely to vaccinate against smallpox in millions of people can now be modified to reach cancers through the bloodstream - even after cancer has spread widely through the patient's body.
"It is particularly encouraging that responses were seen even in tumours like mesothelioma, a cancer which can be particularly hard to treat."
The virus attacked only tumours, leaving the healthy tissue alone, in a small trial on 23 patients, according to the journal Nature.
Researchers said the findings could one day "truly transform" therapies.
Cancer specialists said using viruses showed "real promise".
Using viruses to attack cancers is not a new concept, but they have needed to be injected directly into tumours in order to evade the immune system.
Smallpox to cancer
Scientists modified the vaccinia virus, which is more famous for being used to develop a smallpox vaccine.
The virus, named JX-594, is dependent upon a chemical pathway, common in some cancers, in order to replicate.
It was injected at different doses into the blood of 23 patients with cancers which had spread to multiple organs in the body.In the eight patients receiving the highest dose, seven had the virus replicating in their tumours, but not in healthy tissue.
Prof John Bell, lead researcher and from the University of Ottawa, said: "We are very excited because this is the first time in medical history that a viral therapy has been shown to consistently and selectively replicate in cancer tissue after intravenous infusion in humans.
"Intravenous delivery is crucial for cancer treatment because it allows us to target tumours throughout the body as opposed to just those that we can directly inject."
Infection prevented further tumour growth in six patients for a time. However, the virus did not cure cancer. Patients were given only one dose of the virus as the trial was designed to test the safety of the virus.
It is thought that the virus could be used to deliver treatments directly to cancerous cells in high concentrations.
Prof Bell acknowledges that the research is still in the very early stages, but he said: "I believe that some day, viruses and other biological therapies could truly transform our approach for treating cancer."
Cancer Research UK's Prof Nick Lemoine, also director of Barts Cancer Institute, said: "Viruses that multiply in just tumour cells - avoiding healthy cells - are showing real promise as a new biological approach to target hard-to-treat cancers.
"This new study is important because it shows that a virus previously used safely to vaccinate against smallpox in millions of people can now be modified to reach cancers through the bloodstream - even after cancer has spread widely through the patient's body.
"It is particularly encouraging that responses were seen even in tumours like mesothelioma, a cancer which can be particularly hard to treat."
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