[The Hindu] Conceding that "non-state actors" were hampering India-Pakistain relationship, the visiting Interior Minister Rehman Malik
Pak politician, Interior Minister under the Gilani government. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Nawaz Sharif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men. He had to give up the interior ministry job because he held dual Brit citizenship.
on Friday said he would order the arrest of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed
...who would be wearing a canvas jacket with very long sleeves anyplace but Pakistain...
, the criminal mastermind of the Mumbai terror attacks, the moment he got credible evidence.
"We have to follow the law of the land. And of course [satisfy] the [Pak] court ... There has been a lot of propaganda about Hafiz Muhammad Saeed. I assure you that we are still investigating the [Indian] evidence. And if that evidence can stand the test of courts of international standards, I will order his arrest even before returning home. We have no love lost for Hafiz Muhammad Saeed," Mr. Malik told journalists here on arrival. He is on a three-day visit to operationalise the historic visa agreement between the two neighbours that was signed in September.
Mr. Malik noted that Pakistain was receiving dossiers that had only information and no evidence. The statement of Ajmal Kasab, the Pak national and Lashkar-e-Taiba
...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI...
terrorist who was hanged last month after having been convicted in the 26/11 case, on Saeed's involvement in the Mumbai attacks was not enough, he said. "It needs further corroboration ... I will make public official documents from the court's judgment where Hafiz Muhammad Saeed has been declared innocent."
Referring to the execution of the gunman, he said: "When Ajmal Kasab was hanged. I was the first one to come on television and [I] gave the statement that we respect the judgments coming from your courts. Similarly when the trial is going on [in Pakistain] I have already told you that it is on fast track and of course we have gone to every level to make it on the fast track."
Mr. Malik said non-state actors were playing havoc with the relationship between the two countries, both facing the scourge of terrorism for many years. "I come with a message of love and peace from the people of Pakistain. I do not want any negativity today. What I want is a positive message, positive view forward ... Let's forget the dark days, let's enter with shining stars, with smiling faces and clear hearts."
The Pak Minister, however, raised the issues of Babri mosque demolition and Samjhauta train blasts. "We do not want any 9/11. We do not want any Bombay blasts, we do not want any Samjhauta Express, we do not want any Babri mosque issue and we can work together not only for peace in Pakistain and India, but also for the region."
Mr. Malik said the "journey to peace is progressing very well" because of the meetings between the leaders of the two countries. For this, I must give full credit to my leader, President [Asif Ali] Zardari, the Prime Minister, and equal credit to the Prime Minister [Manmohan Singh] and [former Home Minister and now Finance Minister] P. Chidambaram."
No credible evidence yet to act against Hafiz Saeed: Malik
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United States to Deploy Anti-Missile Units in Turkey
[NY Times] Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta signed an official deployment order on Friday to send 400 American military personnel and two Patriot air defense batteries to Turkey as its tensions intensify with neighboring Syria, where government forces have increasingly resorted to aerial attacks, including the use of ballistic missiles, to fight a spreading insurgency.
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Outlook for Chavez Darkens, Doctors Say
[Online.WSJ] Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's cancer is most likely terminal given the disease's recurrences, and while the president may bounce back for periods, his health is increasingly at risk, say several leading cancer specialists not involved in the treatment.
I've always thought "mets" was synonymous with "goner."
Mr. Chavez is recovering from surgery in Cuba this week after the president said malignant cells reappeared for a third time in his abdomen. Venezuela's government hasn't disclosed what type of cancer he has or what the surgery was for. But it has described the more than six-hour operation as "complex and delicate" and said Mr. Chavez might not be back in Caracas in time for his Jan. 10 inauguration for a new term after 14 years in power.
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Man suffers heart attack dancing to 'Gangnam style'
[KSAT] A father of three collapsed and died from a heart attack after dancing to Psy's "Gangnam Style" at his office Christmas party in Blackburn, England.
Eamonn Kilbride, 46, an IT manager at Thwaites brewery, had been enjoying an office party at a country club with his wife, Julie, on Saturday night. Julie Kilbride told The Sun that her husband had been on a stage dancing and making a fool of himself "entertaining everybody." Shortly after, he collapsed.
After failed attempts at resuscitation, Kilbride was rushed to Royal Blackburn Hospital, where paramedics pronounced him dead a short time later. A coroner's report indicated Eamonn Kilbride died from acute heart failure, a condition which can be exacerbated by vigorous exercise.
That's why I try never to move...
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TLC orders 'Best Funeral Ever' reality show
[Insidetv.EW] TLC is ready to put the "fun" back into funeral.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, for your entertainment pleasure, here's Episode One of 'Burying Grandmaw'!"
The network has ordered a special/backdoor pilot, Best Funeral Ever, that goes behind-the-scenes of a unconventional funeral parlor.
"As you can see, Barbara, we're embalming the old girl with bourbon..."
At the Golden Gate Funeral Home, Dallas-based funeral director John Beckwith, Jr. works with the families to create a central theme for a memorial and then throws a wild party.
Oh, when I die, bury me
In my high top Stetson hat;
Put a twenty-dollar gold piece on my watch chain
God'll know I died standin' pat.
Examples include a Christmas-inspired funeral complete with reindeer, elves and snow,
... as in "Jingle All the Way to the End"...
and a singer known for his famous rib sauce jingle remembered at a BBQ-themed funeral -- including live pigs, praise dancers, and a BBQ sauce fountain where loved ones dip a ceremonious rib to say goodbye.
I want six crap shooters for pall bearers.
Chorus girl to sing me a song.
Put a jazz band on my hearse wagon.
Raise Hell as I roll along.
"We're going to make these families extremely happy at the worst moments of their lives," Beckwith says.
"... and then extremely embarrassed for the rest of their lives..."
Roll out your rubber tired carriage,
Roll out your old time hat.
Twelve men going to the graveyard
And eleven coming back.
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Man Tries To Drown Wife In Dog Bowl After Fight Over Frozen Pizza
[Tampa.CBSLocal] Orange City police say a man tried to kill his wife by holding her head in a dog bowl full of water after they fought over pizza.
Police arrested Richard Watson, 47, after they received a violent disturbance report in an apartment.
According to the police report, Debra Watson started watching the "12-12-12" benefit concert while her husband was in another room and he joined her after his show was over.
The two then got into a fight about the frozen pizza that was cooked after Richard Watson complained the crust was "raw" and flung his dinner plate on the floor. Debra Watson also threw her plate on the floor in response.
Police say that is when Richard Watson tackled his wife, grabbed her head, and shoved her face into the dog's water bowl.
"She felt her life was going to end," Orange City Commander Jason Sampsell told the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
The paper reports that Debra was able to break free, but then her husband backed her against a corner and tried to strangle her.
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Wadi Khaled Residents Fleeing Syrian Gunfire, Shells
[An Nahar] The residents of the Wadi Khaled town of al-Boqaiaa have fled their homes on Friday as a result of heavy shooting coming from the Syrian side, the National News Agency reported.
"Gunfire from light- and medium-caliber weapons and shells coming from Syria have landed in al-Boqaiaa area of Wadi Khaled near the Lebanese side of the Grand River," the NNA said.
Al-Boqaiaa residents said they have heard gunfire and shell kabooms on the Syrian side of the river, without knowing their source or motive.
"Some of our houses have been targeted," the residents said explaining the reasons that made them chose to flee their town.
Meanwhile,
...back at the pound, Zebulon finally found just the friend he'd been looking for...
OTV reported that gunnies in Wadi Khaled were shooting towards Syria and the Syrian army responded with fire.
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Clashes in Egypt on Eve of Divisive Referendum
[An Nahar] Stone-throwing festivities broke out Friday in the Egyptian city of Alexandria between Islamists and opposition protesters, on the eve of a highly charged referendum on a new constitution, witnesses and state media said.
Fifteen people were maimed, according to medics, and several cars set on fire in the violence in the Mediterranean city, Egypt's second largest.
State television showed at least one protester brandishing a sword.
Riot police quickly moved to separate the protesters, who clashed after a holy man urged worshipers to vote yes for the constitution.
Tensions are high over the staggered referendum, which is being held on this and the following Saturday, after weeks of protests and violence between rival camps in Cairo that killed eight people and injured hundreds last week.
Further rallies by both sides were taking place in Cairo on Friday.
A pro-constitution rally by the Moslem Brüderbund backing Islamist President Mohamed Morsi gathered more than 2,000 people, and separately, hundreds of Morsi's opponents demonstrated outside his palace.
The protests were modest in size compared with mass rallies in recent weeks by the opposition that forced Morsi to give up sweeping powers, and huge protests by Islamists to show that the president had supporters.
Morsi's Moslem Brüderbund and ultra-orthodox Salafist groups backing the draft charter have been campaigning for days for Egypt's 51 million voters to approve it.
A senior Islamist official involved in drafting the charter, Amr Darrag, branded opposition attacks against the document an "unjust campaign to paint a lying picture of the constitution."
Egypt's mainly secular opposition has criticized the draft charter as divisive
...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled...
and a possible attempt by Islamists to introduce sharia-style law.
"We are confident that the Egyptian people will topple the Moslem Brüderbund's constitution," Amr Hamzawy, a leader of the opposition National Salvation Front, told a news conference.
"The National Salvation Front calls on people to flood into polling stations to say no" to the draft charter, another Front leader, Hamadeen Sabahi, said.
The Front was holding last-ditch rallies on Friday against the new constitution. It has said it could yet call a boycott if its "deep concern" over the referendum's fairness turns out to be founded.
The opposition took out half-page advertisements in major independent dailies describing the charter as "a constitution that divides Egypt."
The opposition -- which initially wanted the referendum postponed -- only started urging a "no" vote on Thursday.
"It's you who will pay the price if you vote 'yes.' 'No' to the constitution," said an online campaign advertisement by the opposition April 6 youth movement.
Morsi has ordered Egypt's military to help police maintain security until the results of the referendum are known. A total of 130,000 police and 120,000 soldiers will be deployed, interior ministry and military officials told Agence La Belle France Presse.
Polling in the referendum was staggered over a week because of a shortage of judges willing to provide the statutory supervision for the vote.
Voting will begin on Saturday in Cairo and Alexandria and in eight other provinces. The other half of the country will vote on December 22.
International watchdogs, including the U.N. human rights
One man's rights are another man's existential threat.
chief, and the United States and the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
, have expressed reservations about the draft because of loopholes that could be used to weaken human rights, the rights of women and the independence of judges.
Analysts said the proven ability of the Moslem Brüderbund to muster voters was likely -- but not certain -- to ensure that the draft constitution is passed.
If it is adopted, "it will exacerbate political tension and result in more acrimony," Hani Sabra, an Egypt specialist for the Eurasia Group, said in an evaluation note.
"The Brotherhood and Morsi believe that if the constitution is adopted, it represents a mandate to pursue their policies. However,
there's more than one way to skin a cat...
majority support does not translate into the bureaucracy falling in line. It will also not silence the opposition."
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Cameron Says 'Inaction' Not Option in Syria, EU 'Appalled'
[An Nahar] Doing nothing is not an option in Syria, British Prime Minister David Cameron
... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ...
said Friday as his European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
counterparts pledged to look at "all options" available to support the opposition and civilians.
"Inaction and indifference are not options," said Cameron, whose government has formally recognized a recently formed Syrian opposition coalition.
The situation in Syria, with more than 40,000 now dead, was "truly dreadful and getting worse," he said, adding that there was "no single, simple answer."
In a statement issued at the close of an EU summit, leaders said they were "appalled by the increasingly deteriorating situation in Syria" and urged their foreign ministers to "work on all options to support and help the opposition and to enable greater support for the protection of civilians."
They said Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs...
had to go, with Cameron wanting the "speediest transition possible" to avoid more bloodshed.
Earlier, French President Francois Hollande
...the Socialist president of La Belle France, and a fine job he's doing of it...
had said Assad was losing and must be made to leave as quickly as possible.
"On the ground, the war is now turning against Assad and we should set ourselves this objective -- make Assad leave as quickly as possible," he said.
The EU so far has stopped short of full recognition of the opposition, although earlier this week EU foreign ministers met the leader of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces at talks in Brussels.
Some EU member states are cautious about extending full recognition to the coalition because of doubts over how representative it is and its democratic credentials.
In their statement Friday, EU leaders said they supported a future Syria that "is democratic and inclusive with full support for human rights
...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you...
and the rights of minorities.
"The European Council will continue to address the situation in Syria as a matter of priority," they added.
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Mother of Nigerian Finance Minister Freed from Kidnappers
[An Nahar] The elderly mother of Nigeria's finance minister was on Friday freed from kidnappers after being kidnapped from her home in the country's south last weekend in a crime that shocked the country, police said.
Details of the release were unclear and there was no indication of whether a ransom was paid to free the 82-year-old Kamene Okonjo, whose daughter Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a high-profile minister and ex-World Bank managing director.
"She has been sprung," police front man Frank Mba told Agence La Belle France Presse. "She is in good health." He declined to provide further details other than to say that she was freed earlier Friday.
The minister's front man issued a statement confirming the release, but also without providing further details.
One local television station reported that the mother had been dropped off from a cycle of violence on Friday morning, but the information could not be immediately confirmed.
Kamene Okonjo was kidnapped Sunday at her home in Delta state in the country's Niger Delta region, where ransom kidnappings occur regularly.
Local media reported that a gang of gunnies went to the house -- locally called a "palace" due to her husband's position as a traditional ruler in the area -- in broad daylight in the afternoon.
When Kamene Okonjo, a professor, went outside to offer drinks to laborers carrying out work around the front gate, the gunnies emerged from hiding and seized her.
Some reports said one of the suspects went inside to steal her handbag. The victim's husband was said to have been away.
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Two Strong Quakes Strike Off California
[An Nahar] A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Caliphornia early Friday immediately followed by a 6.1-magnitude temblor, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties from the earthquakes, which took place 262 kilometers (163 miles) and 93 kilometers (58 miles) off the coast, respectively, according to seismologists.
There was no immediate warning of any tsunami from the quakes.
Options on Nevada waterfront lots jumped 18 percent...
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N. Korea Holds Mass Celebration of Rocket Launch
[An Nahar] Hundreds of thousands of North Korean soldiers and civilians rallied Friday in the center of Pyongyang for a mass celebration of the country's long-range rocket launch, state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
showed.
The huge crowd in Kim Il-Sung Square, standing in neat, organised ranks, applauded speeches by senior military, party and government officials hailing the success of Wednesday's launch and praising the country's young leader, Kim Jong-Un.
"This was achieved thanks to the Great Marshall Kim Jong-Un's endless loyalty, bravery and wisdom," said Jang Chol, president of the State Academy of Sciences.
The rally came hours after state media published a statement by Kim Jong-Un ordering more satellite launches in the future, despite the global outrage and U.N. condemnation triggered by Wednesday's launch.
North Korea says it placed a satellite in orbit for peaceful research, but critics say the launch amounted to a banned ballistic missile test that marked a major advance for the communist state's nuclear weapons program.
The U.N. Security Council held emergency talks on Wednesday after the North, already under international sanctions for nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, ignored pleas from friends and foes and went ahead with the launch.
Meanwhile,
...back at the Council of Boskone, Helmuth had turned a paler shade of blue. Star-A-Star had struck again...
South Korea's navy has retrieved debris from the first stage of the long-range rocket, which will be analyzed to determine its level of ballistic expertise, the defense ministry said Friday.
"This debris is expected to be an important piece of information in determining North Korea's rocket capability," said defense ministry front man Kim Min-Seok.
The section salvaged by the navy appears to be a fuel tank, inscribed with the name of the "Unha-3" rocket.
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Chavez Suffered 'Complications' but Recovering
[An Nahar] Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez experienced "complications," including bleeding,
"Cheez, nurse! Get a bucket! Quick!"
during his cancer surgery, but is showing positive signs of recovery, senior aides said Thursday.
"Doctor Kildare! Code Blue! Doctor Casey! Code Blue! Doctor Quincy, pick up the white courtesy phone...!"
During his treatment, 58-year-old Chavez had suffered "bleeding that required the adoption of corrective measures," Communications Minister Ernesto Villegas said in a television and radio address.
"Not that sponge, nurse! The big one, the rubber one!"
It was the first time Venezuelan officials had acknowledged complications in the six hours of surgery that Chavez underwent on Tuesday in Havana.
"No, really, he's fine... Mostly."
Chavez is undergoing "a progressive and favorable recovery," Villegas told the nation,
"He hasn't coded yet has he?... No, don't unplug that yet!"
warning that this "requires a precautionary time" due to "the complexity of the operation and also because of complications that arose."
"Do you think you can get it back in, doctor?"
"I can get it back in. I'm just not sure it'll stay."
Vice President Nicolas Maduro, the former foreign minister to whom Chavez bequeathed the reins of power before flying to Havana on Monday, also said that the president's condition was improving.
"No, no! He's breathing and everything! Mostly."
"In the last hours the process of recovery has evolved from stable to favorable," Maduro said, describing it as one of "progressive recovery."
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Pakistani court bails acid attack parents: lawyers
[Dawn] A Pak court granted bail on Friday to a couple who confessed to murdering their daughter with acid, citing lack of evidence and witnesses, lawyers said.
You've got a dead, half-dissolved kid, two parents standing over what's left of the body, and that's not enough evidence...
Police tossed in the clink
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
Mohammad Zafar and his wife Zaheen Akhtar a week after the October 29 attack on their 15-year-old daughter Anusha, who died in agony from horrific burns in Pakistain-administered Kashmire after allegedly looking at boys.
Oh, well, hell, that's reason enough to kill her. I'm surprised they didn't gouge her eyes out before dissolving her.
But district and sessions judge Munir Gilani granted bail because "police had no evidence and they could produce no witnesses," public prosecutor Mohammad Ali Rathor told news hounds.
"The court found it a weak case and, giving the benefit of doubt, granted bail to her parents," he said. "No one appeared on behalf of the dear departed girl and no human or women rights activists came to pursue the case."
Does anybody see an elemental flaw in the Pak legal system or semblance thereof? Anyone? Bueller?
Defence lawyer Riaz Naveed Butt said the couple were released in Kotli, 130 kilometres (80 miles) north of regional capital Muzaffarabad, after depositing bonds worth 100,000 rupees ($1,020) each.
The state presumably has no function to act as the injured party in cases that in infidel countries would be billed as "State vs. Mohammad Zafar et al."
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PML-N likely to enter poll alliance with Jamaat
[Dawn] The Pakistain Mohammedan League-Nawaz is likely to form electoral alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
in the next general polls in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
, according to sources.
They said that PML-N leaders had contacted Jamaat-e-Islami to hold negotiations with it for entering into an electoral alliance.
PML-N provincial general secretary Rehmat Salam Khattak, when contacted, though rejected reports about negotiations with political parties for electoral alliance, yet said that Jamaat-e-Islami could be suitable ally for them in the province.
He said that provincial chapter of the party had to follow instructions of central leadership in that regard. He said that they would talk to other parties if central leadership directed them to do so.
"We have informal contacts with some of JI leaders but formal meeting in this connection has so far not been held," Mr Khattak said.
He said that PML-N had completed homework for selection of candidates on recommendations of survey committees. The final decision would be taken with approval of central leadership, he added.
"No doubt some of the candidates are weak and need assistance of another political party. However,
a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth...
we will not leave any seat vacant and suitable candidates will be fielded in all constituencies in the province," the PML-N leader said. About a possible visit of PML-N central president Mian Nawaz Sharif
... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, he said that the visit was due for the past one month and preparations were completed for holding public meetings in different districts.
Mr Khattak said that main public meetings would be held in Karak, Dera Ismail Khan
... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ...
, Dir, Swat, Abbottabad
... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden....
, Kohat and Bannu. He said that election campaign had already been initiated and it would formally be launched by the party's president.
Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif, he said, would also visit some districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to address public meetings.
Meanwhile,
...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter wished he had a cup of coffee. Even instant would do...
PML-N has decided to unseat former central general secretary of its women wing Shazia Aurangzeb from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly for joining Pakistain People's Party.
"We have issued her show cause notice to reply within three days as to why she has joined PPP despite the fact that she is still member of provincial assembly on the reserved seat of PML-N," said Mr Khattak.He said that after three days the party would issue another statement to declare that she would be removed from the seat and thus as per procedure the speaker would have to send recommendations to election commission for unseating her.
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Two more police officials gunned down
[Dawn] Targeted attacks on coppers in the city continued on a second consecutive day on Thursday, when two more police officials were bumped off, bringing the total number of coppers killed this year in the metropolis to 109.
One of the latest two victims had completed his training at the Razzakabad police training centre only a day ago, police sources said.
Earlier on Wednesday, a sub-inspector heading to work was bumped off in a drive-by shooting in Saeedabad.
In a similar incident, police constable Shamim Ahmed, 45, was heading to work on a cycle of violence on Thursday morning when he was killed close to the Malir district courts, where he was posted, within the remit of the Malir City cop shoppe.
The police rushed to the crime-scene and shifted the body to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.
"The victim was a resident of Gulshan-e-Qadri, Malir City," said Malir DSP Rao Iqbal. He added that the constable was posted in the security zone-I and was deputed at the Malir courts.
While the investigation was under way to ascertain the motive for the killing, another constable was targeted in the Pirabad area.
Police constable Mohammad Kaleem was targeted near Baitul Maymar mosque in Kunwari Colony late Thursday night.
The victim was riding a motorbike when he was bumped off, the police said.
Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
police front man SSP Imran Shaukat said the slain constable had passed out from the Razzakabad police training college on Wednesday.
'Sectarian' killing
A young man was rubbed out in Liaquatabad in what police described as a 'sectarian' attack after they could not find any other motive for the killing. The shooting caused panic as people ran to take cover resulting in a massive pile-up on the main road.
Syed Sheraz Abbas Rizvi, 35, was driving a car (T-5962) when gunnies riding a motorbike fired at him on Sir Shah SLearned Elders of Islamn Road near Bakra Peeri in Liaquatabad No 10, said an official at the Sharifabad cop shoppe.
The victim was rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
He's dead, Jim!
on arrival, police said. The police Sherlocks later collected several spent bullet casings of 9mm pistol at the crime-scene.
The dear departed was a resident of Federal C Area and was a construction contractor. He was father of a child. A senior police officer said initial reports indicated sectarian motive for the killing, adding that there was no other apparent reason for it. Following medico-legal malities at the hospital, the body was taken to Rizvia and then to Incholi.
Meanwhile,
...back at the the conspirators' cleverly concealed hideout the long-awaited message arrived. They quickly got to work with their decoder rings...
a truck was set on fire in Gulbahar.
'Sectarian' attack victim dies
One of the two victims of a Dec 11 sectarian attack, who was under treatment at a private hospital, died on Thursday evening, police said. They added Zaheer Hussain and Hashmat Ali had sustained gunshot wounds in an attack outside Salman Farsi mosque in Toori Bangash Colony of Orangi Town. While Mr Hussain had was struck down in his prime, Mr Ali was rushed to the hospital where he was admitted. On Thursday, Mr Ali died. His body was taken to the Incholi Imambargah on Thursday night.
Man found rubbed out
The body of an unidentified man was found in Ranchhore Line within the remit of the Eidgah police staOfficials said the victim had been shot in the head. After a post-mortem examination at the Civil Hospital Bloody Karachi, the body was shifted to the Edhi morgue for want of identification. tion.
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Cambodia snubs critical UN rights envoy
[Bangla Daily Star] The UN human rights
...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless...
envoy to Cambodia voiced regret yesterday at an apparent snub by government officials adding he was also "surprised" by criticism he has received for highlighting rights abuses.
"I very much regret that I was not able to interact with government interlocutors this time," Surya Subedi told news hounds in Phnom Penh, after a trip to Cambodia concluded without the usual meetings with bigwigs.
"I would be looking to hear directly from the government, from appropriate channels, as to the reasons why," he said.
The snub comes after Subedi published reports this year expressing concern over an uptick in violent land conflicts, freedom of speech restrictions and a perceived lack of independence in the court system.
Strongman Prime Minister Hun Sen indicated on Thursday that he had no intention of meeting Subedi, warning against people acting "like the bosses of Cambodia".
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↧
BCL embarrasses AL, its associates
[Bangla Daily Star] Top leaders of ruling Awami League and its associated bodies feel embarrassed at Bangladesh Chhatra League's
... the student wing of the Bangla Awami League ...
criminal activities, including the Bishwajit murder.
As the much-talked-about killing has made the government and AL high-ups furious, party leaders believe the time has come to take "strict decision" against BCL.
At least four top leaders, who include two senior ministers, didn't even want to talk about BCL, when The Daily Star approached them for comments.
A few others said they feel embarrassed after Bishwajit was hacked to death by a group of Chhatra League brutes in broad daylight during the December 9 opposition blockade.
They think much of their "achievements in recent months" and "regained public sympathy" following Jamaat-Shibir's countrywide attack on police has been ruined because of Chhatra League.
In these circumstances, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide...
yesterday directed the leaders of her party's associated bodies to remain alert so that none can infiltrate into their organizations with a plot to tarnish the image of the government.
"We are in power. People of vested interests will try to change their political colour and engage the party in different anti-organizational activities. Remain careful about it," said Hasina, also the chief of AL and its different associated bodies.
The PM was addressing a discussion marking Martyred Intellectuals Day in the capital.
AL's two influential associated bodies Jubo League
... the youth wing of the Bangla Awami League...
and Swechchhasebak League reportedly kept their workers away from the street showdown during the BNP's hartal
... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ...
on Tuesday and Thursday after Bishwajit was killed by Jagannath University unit BCL men.
Jubo League Chairman Omar Faroque Chowdhury said they had directed their party men not to be violent in any circumstances during the opposition blockade and hartal.
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BNP, Jamaat leading nation to civil war
[Bangla Daily Star] LGRD and Cooperatives Minster Syed Ashraful Islam yesterday alleged that the BNP-Jamaat alliance was trying to push the country towards a civil war in a bid to save war criminals.
"The war crimes trial is going on and so is the conspiracy against it. In the name of hartal
... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ...
, they [the opposition alliance] are carrying out masked attacks. They want to push the country towards a civil war," he said.
The minister was talking to news hounds after placing wreaths at the Rayerbazar mass grave in the capital commemorating the martyred intellectuals on behalf of his party, the Awami League.
Party leaders Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Matia Chowdhury, Mahbubul Alam Hanif, among others, accompanied him there.
Nine leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
and BNP are facing trials in two international crimes tribunals on charges of committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971.
Terming Khaleda Zia
Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ...
"saviour of the war criminals", Syed Ashraf, also general secretary of ruling AL, alleged that the opposition leader was trying her best to stop the trials.
"But none will be able to do that. No matter how hard Khaleda Zia tries to save the war criminals, she won't succeed," said Ashraf, adding, "We are pledge-bound to the people and hence no power or whatsoever can foil the trial."
"We have heard that they are preparing, collecting weapons. They would not hesitate to use the weapons, if necessary, to foil the war crimes trials. They are getting ready for a mass killing," he said, urging people to remain as alert as the government is.
The trial was taking a little longer time for the sake of transparency and fairness, said Ashraf, hoping that the verdict delivery would start from this month.
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Islamist parties threaten to call hartal for Dec 20
[Bangla Daily Star] Twelve like-minded Islamist parties yesterday threatened to enforce a hartal
... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ...
on Thursday if the left-leaning political parties do not withdraw their Tuesday's hartal.
The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) on December 7 called a countrywide daylong hartal for December 18 [Tuesday] demanding ban on communal politics including that of the Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
, and quick disposal of the war crimes trials.
While paying tribute to the martyred intellectuals at Rayerbazar mass grave yesterday, the leaders of these two parties hoped that people would strongly response against Jamaat-e-Islami by making the hartal a success. They alleged that Jamaat was becoming desperate to foil the ongoing war crimes trial.
The Gonotantrik Bam Morcha also called a countrywide dawn-to-dusk shutdown for the same day [Tuesday] to realise their seven-point demand including that for stopping power, oil and gas price hike. The party yesterday held a procession and is also set to hold a rally today in front of the Jatiya Press Club in favour of the hartal.
Meanwhile,
...back at the hoedown, Bob finally got to dance with Sally...
Zafarullah Khan, member of the 12 like-minded Islamist parties, yesterday told The Daily Star that they would formally announce their dawn-to-dusk hartal for Thursday at a presser on Tuesday if the left parties do not withdraw their hartal.
Against such backdrop, the city dwellers are likely to suffer three hartals next week while Sunday is going to be a holiday for the Victory Day.
An organization named Gorbo Bangladesh Biplobi Dal called a half-day hartal in the capital for December 17 [Monday] demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide...
's and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia
Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ...
's retirement from politics.
On Wednesday, spokespersons of the organization Shaheda Obaid and Kamrul Hasan announced the eight-hour hartal at a presser in Dhaka Reporters Unity.
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