Dunya TV

Biden condemns new Israel settlement plan

Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday condemned Israeli plans to build 1,600 more homes on occupied land where Palestinians seek statehood, announced in the middle of his visit to help revive peace negotiations.
Israel's refusal to stop settlement building despite US urging has been a major obstacle to a resumption of the talks, and the announcement put Biden in an uncomfortable position ahead of a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. I condemn the decision by the government of Israel to advance planning for new housing units, Biden said in a statement. He said the blueprint for Ramat Shlomo, a religious Jewish settlement in an area of the West Bank annexed to Jerusalem by Israel, undermines the trust we need right now and runs counter to the constructive discussions that I've had here in Israel. The Palestinians had dropped a demand that Israel freeze settlement building and agreed to up to four months of indirect negotiations after receiving Arab League endorsement last week. Israeli Interior Minister Eli Yishai, who heads a religious party in Netanyahu's governing coalition and is responsible for the plan's announcement, described its timing as happenstance.

Iran calls political opponents enemies of Islam

A traditional Islamic concept about protecting the faith and its followers has become a judicial weapon for Iran's rulers: charging opponents as so-called enemies of God with the threat of possible death sentences.
Iran's accusations of moharebeh, literally waging war in Arabic, have opened deep rifts between ruling clerics and Islamic scholars questioning how an idea about safeguarding Muslims can be transformed into a tool to punish political protesters. The outcry increased last week after an appeals court reportedly upheld the death sentence for Mohammad Amin Valian, a 20-year-old student convicted of moharebeh crimes, which Iran's legal code defines as defiance of God, or the state and punishable by hanging. Valian's case has become a new rallying point for the opposition as authorities try to further rattle protesters after crushing demonstrations last month. Valian has only admitted to throwing stones at security forces during anti-government protests in December, according to opposition Web sites. On Sunday, Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi said the student still can appeal. The case also highlights the huge perception gap in Iran. Opposition groups have declared Iran's leadership politically bankrupt after alleged vote-rigging and violence. But hard-line supporters of the Islamic system consider it answerable only to God. Valian is among a dozen people convicted of moharebeh offenses, said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the New York-based International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. Hundreds more are in detention and have yet to face the courts, which are directly controlled by the ruling theocracy.

Cisco leapfrogs rivals with faster router

Cisco Systems announced on Tuesday the CRS-3 Carrier Routing System, a new Internet networking architecture that is designed with the huge growth of video transmission, mobile devices and new online services in mind.
The Cisco CRS-3 provides more than 12 times the traffic capacity of the nearest competing system, according to John Chambers, chairman and CEO of Cisco Systems. The CRS-3 triples the capacity of its predecessor, the Cisco CRS-1 Carrier Routing System, said Chambers. Its multi-chassis architecture handles up to 322 terabits per second (Tbps). The new routing system is designed to accelerate the delivery of new services, new revenue opportunities for service providers, and new ways to collaborate in the workplace, according to the company.
The new network will thrive on speed, collaboration and flexibility. To be successful, the new network must be compatible with all types of networks, Chambers said.

Constitutional reforms package to be finalized this month: Zardari

President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday expressed the hope that with the finalization of constitutional reforms package by the end of current month, the 1973 Constitution would be restored to its original shape.
Addressing the award distribution ceremony of All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Tuesday night the President said it was basically for Mian Raza Rabbani led constitutional reforms committee of the parliament as to when it submits its report but hoped that this would be done within this month.
Besides a large number of APNS representatives, newspaper owners, journalists, columnists, writers and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira, the ceremony was also attended by federal ministers, parliamentarians and senior officers of the Ministry of Information.
The President hoped that the task of constitutional reforms would be carried out unanimously in a spirit of reconciliation. President Zardari said they were determined to rid the Constitution of all undemocratic articles introduced into it by successive dictatorships. The President noted that during his address to the parliament last year he himself had asked the parliament to reform the Constitution.
The President said the Government firmly believes in freedom of the media and has taken a number of measures for the purpose. He said he welcomes the constructive criticism as it helps improve performance and serve people in a better manner. The President said an independent media has a crucial role to play in keeping a check on the executive and the strengthening democratic institutions.

Polling for 1 NA, 3 PA seats underway

Poling for the by-elections on one National and three Provincial Assembly seats in Lahore, Jhang, Bahawalpur and Jaffarabad is underway.
Strict security measures have been taken in the constituencies and heavy contingents of police and rangers have been deployed to avert any untoward situation on the polling day.
Over half a million voters in the said constituencies would use their right to vote.A tough contest is expected at NA-123 Lahore, where PML-N candidate Malik Mohammad Pervez, Hafiz Sulman of Jamaat-i-Islami and Mian Miraj of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf are battling for the National Assembly seat.
A total of 57 candidates are contesting elections for the seat, where 268 polling stations have been established for 279,000 total registered voters. After Mondays suicide attack in Lahore, all 268 polling stations in the constituency have been declared sensitive, where some 7,000 police personnel and additional contingents of Rangers have been deputed for security.

Dacoits gun down shopkeeper in Faisalabad

Dacoits shot dead a shopkeeper during dacoity bid in Faisalabad. Dunya News has received CCTV footage of the incident. Dacoits entered into a shop in Gulistan colony and looted shop while brandishing arms. A dacoit shot dead the shopkeeper when he resisted. The dacoits fled after the murder. Police are trying to search the dacoits with the help of CCTV footage.

Tenure of DG ISI extended for one year

Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Tuesday extended service of Director General Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), Lieutenant General Shuja Pasha, for one year. Summary in this regard was sent to the Prime Minister 15 days ago which was accepted.
Dunya News had informed the viewers about his extension one month ago. Pasha was scheduled to retire from service on March 18, 2010.

LHC reserves decision on Lakhvi

Lahore High Court has reserved the decision on transfer of Mumbai attacks accused Zakiur Redman Lakhvis case from Rawalpindi to an anti-terror court in Lahore.
Federal and provincial governments assured the court of Chief Justice Khawaja Sharif to provide full security to accused Lakhvi and his lawyer Khawaja Sultan. Advocate Sultan told the court that the government was pressursing the judge in Pindi court. He maintained that Indian intelligence agencies are following them so their lives are under threat.
The high court upheld the verdict and the decision would be announced tomorrow.

US-Turkey ties under threat over Armenia killings row

Turkey said on Tuesday it will not send its ambassador back to Washington until it gets a clear sign on the fate of a US resolution branding the 1915-era killings of Armenians by Turkish forces as genocide.
NATO member Turkey, a pivotal US ally, was infuriated and recalled its envoy after a US House panel last week approved the non-binding measure condemning the killings.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, speaking to reporters in Saudi Arabia off-camera, was quoted by state-news agency Anatolian as saying the ambassador will not be going back until there is a clear sign on the outcome of the situation regarding the Armenian bill. He did not elaborate.
Erdogan, on an official visit where he met Saudi leaders in Riyadh, has said the resolution will damage US-Turkish ties, although the Obama administration has vowed to stop it from going further in Congress.
Turkey, a secular Muslim democracy that has applied for membership of the European Union, is crucial to US interests in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and the Middle East.
The issue of the Armenian massacres is deeply sensitive in Turkey. Turkey accepts that many Christian Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks but vehemently denies that up to 1.5 million died and that it amounted to genocide -- a term employed by many Western historians and some foreign parliaments.

Wars decisive phase looms in Kandahar: Gates

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told troops in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday they would soon be part of a decisive phase in the war -- an operation to impose control over the Taliban heartland of Kandahar province.
NATO is sending thousands of extra troops to Kandahar over the next few months as part of plans to restore control over Kandahar, a central part of President Barack Obama's strategy to reverse momentum in the 8-year-old war.
The operation to restore government control in Kandahar is the main military objective remaining in Obama's strategy, which aims to turn the tide this year with 30,000 extra troops so that US forces can begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in mid-2011.

Iran slams Germany for terrorist release

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday criticized Germany for releasing the leader of the terrorist group Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PJAK).
Abdolrahman Haji Ahmadi was arrested at his apartment on Friday, but was released Monday, a website affiliated with the Movement for Change in the Iraqi Kurdistan region reported.
PJAK is an offshoot of the internationally-recognized terrorist group, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which conducts deadly operations in Kurdish-populated regions of western Iran.
In reaction to the report, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast accused Western countries of not being sincere in fighting terrorism.
Mehmanparast said Tuesday that evidence at hand indicated that Europe has been a safe haven for terrorists and continues to support terrorism despite chanting slogans in defense of human rights.
According to a New York Times report in October 2007, PJAK has direct or indirect discussions with American officials. Its ringleader reportedly visited Washington in the summer of 2007. The group is branded as a terrorist group by the United States.

Israel, Palestine to begin indirect talks

Israel and the Palestinians agreed to begin indirect, American-brokered talks, the US Mideast envoy announced on Monday -- ending a 14-month deadlock in peacemaking and representing the Obama administration's first substantive diplomatic achievement here.
The announcement, however, came just hours after Israel enraged Palestinians by announcing new West Bank settlement construction on the same day US Vice President Joseph Biden landed in the region to promote negotiations.
In Washington, US State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said Israeli officials had explained that the construction was approved before the moratorium. On the one hand, it does not violate the moratorium that the Israelis previously announced,'' Crowley said. On the other hand, this is a the kind of thing that both sides need to be cautious of as we move ahead with these parallel talks.''

Production of cotton likely to rise

Production of cotton is expected to reach 1 crore and 60 lac bales next year due to rise in price at local level. Cotton Ginners Association chairman Haji Muhammad Akram told Dunya News that this year 1 crore and 27 lac bales of cotton were produced in the country while last year this volume was 1 crore 14 lac bales.

Price of ghee/16 kg up by Rs 20

Price of ghee or cooking oil per 16 kg has increased by Rs20 in the local market while open ghee or cooking oil price has increased by Rs2. According to Retailers Grocers, price of ghee or cooking oil per 16 kg in the local market has increased up to Rs1860. Price of cooking oil after March 1 has been increased by Rs40.

Return of IDPs to start in April: Corps Commanders

Displaced people of South Waziristan will start returning back to their homes in the first week of April. Corps Commanders have finalised the schedule.
The meeting of Corps Commanders held at General Headquarters in Islamabad under the chairmanship of COAS General Kayani.
The meeting mulled over the war against terrorism, professional affairs of the military and return of IDPs of South Waziristan.