Nepal's royal massacre still a mystery 10 years on

KATHMANDU: A decade after Nepal's crown prince stunned the world by gunning down nine family members, mystery still surrounds the massacre that plunged the monarchy into a crisis from which it never recovered.

Many Nepalese believe they may never know the truth about the night of June 1, 2001, when a drink- and drugs-fuelled prince Dipendra ran amok with an automatic weapon at a family dinner at the palace in the capital Kathmandu.

Dipendra, dressed in military fatigues, killed his revered father, King Birendra, his mother, brother and sister and five other relatives before shooting himself, according to official findings.

The 31-year-old Eton-educated heir to the throne was believed to have been crazed with anger after being stopped by the queen from marrying the woman he loved.

But conspiracy theories continue to swirl in Nepal about the bloodbath, which caused outpourings of hysterical grief in the impoverished nation where the king was seen as the reincarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu.

"The high-level (government) commission formed to investigate the massacre only reported what happened and how it happened," said Vivek Kumar Shah, a former military secretary at the royal palace.

"It didn't say why it happened," he added.

Shah said some internal and external forces could have provoked the crown prince but declined to elaborate, saying only: "There were interest groups who wanted to end the monarchy."

The royal massacre, believed to have been the worst since Russia's Romanovs were shot on the order of Vladimir Lenin in 1918, prompted rumours about the possible role in the slayings of the king's less popular brother, Gyanendra.

Gyanendra was away from the Nepalese capital on the night of the killings.

"The people, who were numb with grief, reached a hasty conclusion it was a conspiracy (involving Gyanendra)," Kishor Shrestha, editor of Nepalese weekly Jana Aastha, said.

From the start of his reign, Gyanendra was much less beloved than his brother who in 1990 had legalised political parties, ushering in a new era of democracy and constitutional monarchy.

Gyanendra's unpopularity only deepened when he dismissed the government and embarked on a period of autocratic rule in 2005, a move that united Maoist rebels with political parties, paving the way for mass protests that forced the king to step down three years ago.

A Maoist-dominated constitutional assembly declared a republic in May 2008. Many ordinary Nepalese were delighted to see the back of the dour king as well as his playboy would-be heir, Paras.

On June 11, 2008, Gyanendra left the palace for a hunting lodge on Kathmandu's outskirts, marking the final end to a royal lineage founded by his warrior ancestor Prithvi Narayan Shah, who conquered dozens of small kingdoms in the 18th century.

"The monarchy lost its traditional respect" with Gyanendra's decision to dismiss the government, said Nepalese journalist Yubaraj Ghimire.

"Looking back, I think the politics of 2006 when the Maoists and other parties were arrayed against the monarchy played a critical role in its demise," Ghimire said.

Now, Nepal remains in tumult, racked by political crisis as parties struggle to draft a new constitution and oversee the peace process that began when the decade-long Maoist civil war ended in 2006.

The widespread hope that followed the end of the conflict and the abolition of the unpopular monarchy has been replaced by a growing sense of anger and frustration in Nepal, one of the world's poorest countries.

And 10 years on from the royal massacre, even though many Nepalese believe they still do not know the full truth, there is a waning desire to reopen old wounds with another investigation.

"Nobody is interested in probing it," Shrestha said. (AFP)

NATO risks becoming 'occupying force': Karzai

KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday the US-led Nato military in Afghanistan risks becoming an "occupying force" if aerial bombings which cause civilian casualties continue.

His outspoken remarks came days after he issued a "last warning" to foreign forces over civilian casualties following Saturday's killing of what he said was 14 civilians including women and children in an air strike.

"If after the Afghan government said the aerial bombing of Afghan houses is banned and if it continues, then their presence will change from a war against terrorism to an occupying force," he told a press conference in Kabul.

"And in that case, Afghan history is witness to how the Afghans deal with occupying forces."

Nato's US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said the death toll from Saturday's strike was nine, and has apologised over the incident in the restive southern province of Helmand.

Karzai's comments made apparent reference to the historic defeats by Afghan fighters of foreign invasions, including that by the Soviet Union, which invaded Afghanistan in 1979 and withdrew 10 years later.

Karzai, who faces intense domestic pressure over the issue of civilian casualties, also said again that international bombing attacks against Afghan homes were "banned".

"Their (foreign forces') presence here in Afghanistan is for the war against terror. They are not an occupying force," he said.

"That's why the people of Afghanistan so far have endured casualties and have given sacrifices. So these operations should not be used against Afghan people and their houses. That's why bombing Afghan houses is banned." (AFP)

Mullah Baradar leaked info about OBL hiding: UK paper

LONDON: Taliban leader Mullah Baradar is believed to have informed US whereabouts of Al-Qaeda Chief Osama Bin Laden, a UK paper claimed.

According to the report, in return the US promised to pullout troops from Taliban strongholds in Afghanistan once Osama had been killed or captured.

Until now it has been believed that Osama Bin Laden was caught when the US intercepted a phone call made by his courier Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti. But new reports suggest it was actually Baradar who told the US where he was hiding.

Baradar was arrested in a joint Pak-US operation last year in Karachi and was interrogated in prison before being released last October.

Germany announces end to nuclear power by 2022

BERLIN: Germany will shut down all its nuclear plants by 2022, and eight reactors shut down after Japan's nuclear disaster in March will not be reactivated, the government announced Monday.

The decision, announced by Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen, came after a meeting of leaders of the ruling coalition headed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, which lasted from Sunday evening into the early hours of Monday.

It will make Germany the first major industrial power to give up atomic power.(AFP)

Barcelona swamp United to win Champions League

LONDON: Barcelona, inspired by the peerless Lionel Messi, delivered a soccer masterclass to overwhelm Manchester United 3-1 in the Champions League final and lift the European Cup for the fourth time on Saturday.

Messi was at his inspirational best all night at Wembley as the champions of Spain left the champions of England looking like desperate also-rans in the face of their relentless intricate passing and deadly movement.

United somehow reached halftime level at 1-1 after Wayne Rooney cancelled out Pedro's opening goal but Barcelona continued their dominance after the break.

A superb Messi goal and a precise 18-metre curler by David Villa, underlined the Spanish side's dominance over the team they also beat in the 2009 final. After a short-lived United flurry at the start, Barca were soon in control as they probed constantly in and around the United box.

UNITED UNDONE

Although the English side kept them at bay with a series of last-ditch tackles they were eventually undone in the 27th minute when Xavi cleverly delayed a pass to open space for Pedro to calmly tuck the ball beyond Edwin van der Sar.

United looked almost out of their depth but showed why they have reached three finals in the last four seasons by conjuring a well-made equaliser after 34 minutes.

Rooney played a one-two with Michael Carrick then another with Ryan Giggs before sweeping the ball high into the net.

Messi was millimetres away from a second goal after another high-speed give and go with Villa but somehow United reached halftime on level terms.

The parity on the scoreboard was short-lived though as Barca immediately regained control and, after more near misses, duly went ahead in the 54th minute.

United's defenders made the fatal error of standing off Messi on the edge of the box and the Argentine maestro took full advantage driving the ball in low for the 53rd and most important goal of his remarkable season.

It was Messi who set up the third too as he surged into the box and, though the ball was half-cleared, it went straight to Villa who killed it instantly before curling a superb 18-metreshot into the top corner.

CIA allowed to search bin Laden compound: report

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has agreed to permit the CIA to send in a forensic team to search Osama bin Laden's compound, the US paper reported Thursday, citing US officials. 

The CIA team will arrive at the compound in Abbottabad within days to thoroughly search the residence where US Navy commandos killed bin Laden on May 2 in a unilateral raid that angered Islamabad, the report said. 

"The assault team was there for only 40 minutes," an unnamed US official told the paper. "The aim is to return to the site -- to do another, more thorough, look." 

The CIA plans to use infrared cameras and other devices capable of identifying materials possibly embedded behind walls, inside safes or underground, it reported. 

The Central Intelligence Agency was not immediately available for comment. 

The CIA has also been granted access to materials that Pakistan's security forces have recovered from the compound, officials told the paper. The agency has asked Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence for help in analyzing some of the material that was seized in the raid, including deciphering references to names of individuals and places, the report said. 

US intelligence officials have called the trove of computer files and notebooks found at the bin Laden compound as the largest intelligence find ever recovered from a terrorist network. (AFP)

CIA chiefs,Obama nominates new defense

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama on Thursday formally nominated Leon Panetta as his new secretary of defense and David Petraeus, who commands the international force in Afghanistan, as Panetta's successor at the CIA.

Obama had first said he planned to nominate Panetta and Petraeus on April 28, just days before US commandos entered Pakistan and shot and killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

The US Senate must confirm both men, but neither is expected to encounter any serious opposition there.

The White House hopes that Panetta, whose mission would include cutting spending at the Defense Department, would be able to move into the job on June 30, the day current Defense chief Robert Gates is set to leave. 

Petraeus will continue to lead the international force in Afghanistan until his successor, General John Allen, takes over in September. Petraeus will retire from the military before moving to the CIA.

The United States began troop withdrawals from Afghanistan this year, making good on a promise by Obama to reduce US troop levels there, although it is not clear how soon or how many additional troops will leave.

A new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is the president's top military adviser, is also expected to be nominated next month. General Martin Dempsey, the current Army chief of staff, is considered Obama's likely choice to replace Admiral Michael Mullen, according to Pentagon officials. (AFP)

Hackers breach US defense contractors network

LONDON: Unknown hackers have broken into the security networks of Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and several other US military contractors, a source with direct knowledge of the attacks told this news agency.

They breached security systems designed to keep out intruders by creating duplicates to "SecurID" electronic keys from EMC Corp's (EMC.N) RSA security division, said the person who was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter.

It was not immediately clear what kind of data, if any, was stolen by the hackers. But the networks of Lockheed and other military contractors contain sensitive data on future weapons systems as well as military technology currently used in battles in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Weapons makers are the latest companies to be breached through sophisticated attacks that have pierced the defenses of huge corporations including Sony (SNE.N), Google Inc (GOOG.O) and EMC Corp (EMC.N). Security experts say that it is virtually impossible for any company or government agency to build a security network that hackers will be unable to penetrate.

The Pentagon, which has about 85,000 military personnel and civilians working on cyber security issues worldwide, said it also uses a limited number of the RSA electronic security keys, but declined to say how many for security reasons.

The hackers learned how to copy the security keys with data stolen from RSA during a sophisticated attack that EMC disclosed in March, according to the source.

EMC declined to comment on the matter, as did executives at major defense contractors.

Lockheed, which employs 126,000 people worldwide and had $45.8 billion in revenue last year, said it does not discuss specific threats or responses as a matter of principle, but regularly took actions to counter threats and ensure security.

'Most wanted' US gives lists Pakistan

WASHINGTON: As US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Pakistan Friday, the United States gave Islamabad a list of terrorist leaders it wants joint operation against them, officials said.

The list includes Osama bin Laden deputy Ayman al Zawahiri, along with Siraj Haqqani of the Haqqani network, Ilyas Kashmiri, the head of the Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami and suspected al-Qaida leader, and Atiya Abdel Rahman, al-Qaida operations chief, the US TV reported, citing unnamed officials from both governments.

The list was discussed during separate meetings between senior Pakistani and US officials in the past two weeks, including Friday in Islamabad with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, according to a US official, a Pakistani government official and a Pakistani intelligence official.

The United States is optimistic Pakistan would provide intelligence for prompt and joint actions against these militants.

A US news paper has reported that United States believes all these wanted militants are present in Pakistan.

Satellite survey unearths lost Egyptian pyramids

A new satellite survey of Egypt has identified 17 lost pyramids and more than 1,000 un-excavated tombs.

The team from the University of Alabama analysed images from satellites orbiting the earth that have infrared cameras which can highlight different materials under the ground.

Satellite archaeologists were able to identify ancient Egyptian houses, temples and tombs made of mud-brick, which is much denser than the surrounding soil.

More than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements have been revealed so far.

Preliminary excavations have already confirmed some of the findings, including the existence of two buried pyramids at Sakkara raising the possibility that it is one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt.

Dr Sarah Parcak from the university's archaeological team told the BBC she was amazed at how much she and her team found.

"We were very intensely doing this research for over a year. I could see the data as it was emerging, but for me the aha moment was when I could step back and look at everything that we'd found and I couldn't believe we could locate so many sites all over Egypt," she said.

"It just shows us how easy it is to underestimate both the size and scale of past human settlements."

Dr Parcak told the BBC there may be more antiquities yet to be discovered.

"These are just the sites [close to] the surface," she said.

"There are many thousands of additional sites that the Nile has covered over with silt. This is just the beginning of this kind of work."

Dr Parcak said the new satellite technology will be a boon for archaeologists.

"It's an important tool to focus where we're excavating. It gives us a much bigger perspective on archaeological sites. We have to think bigger and that's what the satellites allow us to do," she said.

Damaged Joplin hospital almost the only building left standing in area

CNN: It probably was a typical Sunday night at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Missouri -- patients watching television, perhaps, or eating their dinners.But the evening wound up as anything but typical, as the nine-story building took what officials said was a direct hit from a tornado. The twister turned a place where the injured typically would seek treatment and refuge into a scene of chaos and devastation.Windows were blown out, gurneys tossed up to five blocks away, and 183 patients and about 200 staffers were evacuated. X-rays from St. John's reportedly were found in driveways in Dade County, Missouri, about 70 miles away.

Three dead, 150 wounded in Nato raids: Libya

TRIPOLI: At least three people died and 150 were wounded as NATO warplanes hit the Libyan capital Tripoli early Tuesday, government spokesman Mussa Ibrahim told reporters. 

"According to the information we have there are three dead and 150 wounded," he told journalists on a bus taking them to a hospital shortly after the strikes. 

Ibrahim said NATO had carried out "between 12 and 18 raids on a barracks of the people's guard", volunteer units who back up the army. Most of the victims were civilians living nearby, the spokesman added. (AFP)

Hilary Clinton says Pakistan has hard choices to make

LONDON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated that Pakistan has hard choices to make and the international community is ready to help her overcome challenges posed by the terrorists and militants.

She was speaking at a joint news conference with her British counterpart William Hague at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office following their talks on the eve of President Barack Obama’s State visit to the UK starting Tuesday.

Referring to the latest attack by the terrorists on the naval base in Karachi, the US Secretary of State said many terrorists on Pakistani soil had been killed and could not be done without the co-operation of Pakistani government. But, she added, there is more to be done. Clinton said both the United States and the United Kingdom seek to support Pakistani people for greater stability, economic prosperity and justice.

Lightning strikes a man twice

LONDON: A man jogging along a quiet road survived after being struck twice by lightning in the space of a minute.

A CCTV footage caught the incident on film on April 11, showing the bewildered man fall to the ground after being struck only to be struck a second time after getting back on his feet.

The footage has become something of an Internet sensation with viewers debating over its origins and authenticity.

Afghan Taliban reject reports Mullah Omar killed

KABUL: The Taliban in Afghanistan rejected on Monday un-sourced media reports that its leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, had been killed in Pakistan, saying he is alive and in Afghanistan.

"He is in Afghanistan safe and sound," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location. "We reject these baseless reports that Mullah Mohammad Omar has been killed.

PNS Mehran Operation.

KARACHI: Gunmen armed with rockets and explosives stormed Pakistan Navy airbase, destroying two US-made two P-3C Orion aircraft surveillance aircraft and killing 12 security personnel.

Geo News correspondent reported from the vicinity of PNS Mehran that four militants blew themselves up, while the security forces have arrested four other militants.

Correspondent Tariq Abul Hassan also said that the arrested terrorists camouflaged themselves with dark dresses and fake cards have been recovered from them.

According to official spokesman,11navy and one Rangers personnel embraced martyrdom taking the toll to 12.

The operation against militants who attacked PNS Mehran started at 10.30 pm on Sunday.

The assault was the fourth on the navy in Karachi in a month. On April 28, four naval personnel and a passing motorcyclist were killed in a bombing, two days after four other people were killed in two navy bus bombings.

Pic Naval air base attack.

Attack Karachi naval air base.

'CIA mole guided' SEALs to Osama bin Laden

THE US Navy SEALs who killed Osama bin Laden were carrying a pocket guide to the occupants of his compound that was so detailed it suggests the CIA may have had a mole inside.

The document, left behind in the compound and obtained by The Sunday Times, lists the names and ages of those who were present, including bin Laden's wives, children and grandchildren.

It details where they lived in the compound and when some of them arrived. It also suggests bin Laden had fathered twins in the compound. It refers to "two unidentified children" born this year to his youngest wife Amal, 28.

Even the clothing worn by the 54-year-old al-Qa'ida leader is described. "Always wears light-coloured shawal (sic) kameez with a dark vest," it says. "Occasionally wears light-coloured prayer cap."

The document raises new questions about how bin Laden was tracked down in what President Barack Obama described as "one of the greatest intelligence successes in American history".

After the mission Mr Obama said he had been "only 45 per cent to 55 per cent sure that bin Laden was even in the compound". The document, which is said to have been carried by all the SEALs on the mission, indicates US intelligence was certain of his presence.

US officials have said that information on the compound was put together over months from a variety of sources, including a nearby CIA safe-house set up as a listening post, imagery from satellites and unmanned drones, and reports from their own agents.

But there is far more detail than seems possible from these methods - unless US drone technology is far more sophisticated than hitherto realised.

Some Pakistani officials say the briefing points to the presence of a mole in the compound.

"I think someone from inside may have given information," said Rehman Malik, the Interior Minister and former head of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency. "If the Americans didn't have definitive information, they couldn't have gone straight to the room where bin Laden was."

One side of the document is printed with a familiar photograph of the al-Qa'ida leader as well as a new picture of Amal - only the second known photograph of her - and an age-enhanced image of his son Khalid. From the other side stares the flabby courier Arshad Khan, looking older than the 33 years stated. There is also a description of his brother, another courier.

The two elder Saudi wives have accused Amal, who is from Yemen, of betraying bin Laden, either by supplying information or by allowing herself to be tracked to the compound.

However, Glenn Carle, a CIA officer who interrogated another senior al-Qa'ida figure before retiring four years ago, said it was more likely the information had come from a variety of sources.

"Is it possible there was a source inside? Yes," he said. "But it's also possible this was built up from a mosaic of painstakingly put together information."

The document also bears details that suggest there may be more to the story of how bin Laden was tracked down.

It reveals for the first time that the two courier brothers moved to Abbottabad in 2006 from Mardan, a city about 100km west, that is still home to thousands of Afghan refugees.

It was in Mardan that Abu Faraj al-Libbi, the al-Qa'ida No 3, was captured in May 2005. According to his Guantanamo detainee assessment published on WikiLeaks, he was caught while waiting for a courier. He had previously been living in Abbottabad.

The Sunday Times has learnt that an employee at Abbottabad post office was tracked after he received suspiciously large cash transfers. He led investigators to Umar Patek, one of the Bali bombers, arrested in Abbottabad in January. All these arrests in the same area seem more than coincidence.

"It is quite possible a false or partial narrative was given of how bin Laden was found," said a CIA official. "Intelligence can only function in silence and in the dark - protecting source and method is very important."

The garrison town of Abbottabad might seem an odd place to choose for a hiding place, given its proximity to the prestigious Kakul military academy. Bin Laden's presence there has led US officials to accuse Pakistan's intelligence services of "complicity or incompetence".

The accusations, along with outrage that the US sent commandos on a raid inside Pakistan without informing them, have prompted a tide of angry anti-Americanism, particularly in Pakistan's military barracks.

Pakistani officials fear that among the intelligence trove taken from the compound will be found something compromising.

Yesterday deputy CIA chief Michael Morell and Marc Grossman, special envoy to the region, were holding meetings in Islamabad to work out concrete steps to crack down on terrorism.

The Sunday Times

Four dead in PNS Mehran attack: news agency

KARACHI: Four people were killed in an armed attack Sunday by terrorists on PNS Mehran, a heavily guarded base of Pakistan Navy, located along Sharea Faisal, according to a foreign news agency.

TV images showed flames rising in the air from PNS Mehran where terrorists blew up a US made four-engine P-3C Orion plane of Pakistan Navy.

Five injured in the incident were shifted to a local hospital.

Additional personnel of security forces were also seen moving inside PNS Mehran.

Electricity of the entire area has also been shut down.

Earlier, four blasts were reported from the area near PAF base Faisal.

Ambulances and fire tenders were seen rushing toward the base following the powerful blasts that were heard across a wide radius.

Gunshots fired from sophisticated weapons were also heard following the blasts.

It is pertinent to mention here that in the previous weeks three buses of Pakistan Navy had been attacked by terrorists in the metropolitan city of Karachi.

Pakistan fighting US war on terror: Imran

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan said on Saturday that Pakistan was fighting America's war on terror which had not only claimed the lives of thousands of Pakistanis but also badly affected the country's economy.

"The war on terror is the war of the United States but our rulers have made it a war of Pakistan," he said while addressing a large sit-in staged at the Native Jetty bridge against drone strikes in the tribal areas.

Imran said that before 9/11 there was not a single Taliban militant in Pakistan but ever since the country joined the war, it had been facing acts of terrorism adding that the rulers have already "fixed the match" with the United States on drone strikes. "Stop drone strikes, or we will block Nato supplies to Afghanistan," the emotionally charged cricketer-turned politician declared from the stage.

He said that the PTI would announce its future line of action on Sunday (today), the last day of the protest. The PTI is against all types of terrorism and it has continuously raised its voice against the military operation in the tribal areas. This was not the way to fight terrorism as it had given birth to more terrorists in the country.

Due to the war on terror, he said, the country faced losses of up to $ 80 billion to the economy whereas it got only $ 20 billion from the US while President Asif Zardari himself admitted that due to the war on terror Pakistan suffered losses of up to $ 68 billions.

About 34,000 citizens have been killed and as many as 5,000 armed forces personnel have died in the war against terrorism.

He urged the government to say no to foreign donations/loans that were offered with serious strings attached to them. He said that about 0.4 million people have migrated from Waziristan due to fear and insecurity.

He said that heads must roll after the military and civilian leadership failed to perform their duties, adding that the Abbotabad incident has brought shame to the nation and the country. He claimed that the country would be purged of terrorism in just 90 days if the PTI comes to power.

US would act unilaterally again inside Pakistan: Obama

WASHINGTON: US President Obama has indicated he would order an Abbottabad type operation that killed Osama Bin Laden early this month if another militant leader was found in Pakistan.

He said the US was mindful of sovereignty issue but said the US could not allow "active plans to come to fruition without us taking some action".

He was speaking to the BBC ahead of a European visit.

Asked what he would do if one of al-Qaeda's top leaders, or the Taliban leader Mullah Omar, was tracked down to a location in Pakistan or another sovereign territory, he said the US would take unilateral action if required.

"Our job is to secure the United States," Obama said.

"We are very respectful of the sovereignty of Pakistan. But we cannot allow someone who is actively planning to kill our people or our allies' people.

"We can't allow those kind of active plans to come to fruition without us taking some action."

44 killed in anti-regime protests in Syria

NICOSIA: Security forces killed 44 people during anti-regime protests which swept Syria on Friday, with most of the casualties in the western province of Idlib and the central city of Homs, a human right activist said Saturday.

"Syrian authorities are continuing to use excessive force and live ammunition to face popular protests in various regions throughout the country," said Ammar Qurabi, head of the National Organisation for Human Rights.

Qurabi said 26 people were killed in the province of Idlib and 13 in Homs. Two people were also killed in the eastern town of Deir Ezzor, one in Daraya, a suburb of the capital Damascus, one in the coastal city of Latakia and one in central Hama. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia makes new appointments in several state departments

mbc.net: King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia has made new appointments in the kingdom’s grievances, education, telecommunications and military departments, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Friday.

A decree from King Abdullah on Friday announced the retirement of the chief of staff of the Saudi armed forces, General Saleh al-Mohaya, and the appointment of his successor, Field Marshal Hussain al-Gubail.

Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Mohammed Nassar was named as the head of the grievances board, replacing Sheikh Ibrahim Bin Shaya Hugail, and given the rank of minister, according to the SPA statement.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Seef was appointed deputy minister of higher education, replacing Ali bin Suleiman Al Attiyah, SPA said.

The Saudi king also extended the terms of Abdul Aziz al- Hugail, president of Saudi Railway Organization and Mohammed al-Suwaiyel, president of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology, the country’s research and development body, for another four years.

The current government was extended by King Abdullah on March 22, 2007.

Iran, Syria say Obama speech on Middle East shows US ‘despair,’ ‘arrogance’

AL ARABIYA: Iran on Friday slammed US President Barack Obama’s speech on the Middle East as a sign of “despair” and “contradictions” in Washington’s policies in the region. Syria said the speech “had nothing new” and that it only reaffirmed the Obama Administration’s staunch support for Israel.

“The despair, contradictions and lies are visible in the speech by Mr. Obama and his support for the Jewish state clearly shows the racist nature of US policy,” said Saeed Jalili from the Supreme National Security Council, the body that sets Iran’s national security policy.

The outgoing Arab League chief Amr Mussa, meanwhile, urged US action to implement President Obama’s vision of a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Mr. Obama became the first American president to say that the borders of Israel and a future Palestinian state should be based on 1967 lines and be completed with land swaps.

“The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states,” Mr. Obama said.

He said that peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians would involve “two states for two peoples.”

“The full and phased withdrawal of Israeli military forces should be coordinated with the assumption of Palestinian security responsibility in a sovereign, non-militarized state,” he said.

“The duration of this transition period must be agreed, and the effectiveness of security arrangements must be demonstrated,” the president said.

But he warned: “For the Palestinians, efforts to delegitimize Israel will end in failure. Symbolic actions to isolate Israel at the United Nations in September won’t create an independent state,” he said.

But Mr. Jalili, who is also Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, said that “the United States must know that all the land belongs to the Palestinians...this is what the region demands and we will accept nothing less.”

Iran does not recognize Israel’s right to exist and its animosity with the Jewish state has hardened under the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who has launched repeated tirades against Tehran's arch-foe.

Outgoing Arab League chief Amr Mussa, meanwhile, urged the United States to act on President Obama’s call for a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, blaming the decades-old conflict for regional instability.

Mr. Mussa “called on the United States to build on Obama’s address and to strive in the coming weeks and months towards creating an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital,” a statement said.

“The Palestinian cause is the main cause of instability in the Middle East,” the statement added.

In Syria, whose president, Bashar al-Assad, was recently slapped by US sanctions for his violent crackdown on protesters, the state news agency said on Friday that President Obama’s speech offered nothing new but simply reiterated America’s firm support for Israel.

The Syrian news agency said: “The US president’s speech on the Middle East had nothing new as far as his country’s policies on the peace process, the situation in Iraq or security or regional stability are concerned… all it did was reaffirm the deep-rooted and unwavering support for Israel's security.”

The government-sponsored daily al-Thawra criticized President Obama saying, “He speaks under the banner of democracy without knowing the meaning of the word.”

The newspaper accused Mr. Obama of “arrogance” in calling for Mr. Assad to embrace democracy or step down.

“Obama is arrogant in telling a sovereign country what to do, and threatening to isolate it if it fails to do as it is told,” the newspaper said.

In his speech President Obama said, “The Syrian people have shown their courage in demanding a transition to democracy. President Assad now has a choice: he can lead that transition, or get out of the way. The Syrian government must stop shooting demonstrators and allow peaceful protests; release political prisoners and stop unjust arrests; allow human rights monitors to have access to cities like Deraa; and start a serious dialogue to advance a democratic transition. Otherwise, President Assad and his regime will continue to be challenged from within and isolated abroad.”

But criticism of President Obama’s speech has not come only from arch foes in the Middle East. Mr. Obama has been criticized domestically as well for his positions on Israel. Although Mr. Obama’s idea builds on stated US policy, negative reaction was immediate.

“President Obama has thrown Israel under the bus,” former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, an all-but-declared presidential candidate, said in a statement. “It’s likely to be just the beginning of months of difficult negotiations and angry politics leading up to an expected United Nations vote in September regarding the prospect of Palestinian statehood.”

“I think Obama will be cordial and polite, but there will be an absence of warmth here,” said Robert Danin, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

Moderate voices, however, saw President Obama’s plan as having potential to break the political deadlock in the Middle East peace process.

Yoram Peri, a former political adviser to the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, told National Public Radio (NPR) that Mr. Obama’s approach was “interesting and new,” because it would divide negotiations into two stages. First, questions surrounding borders and recognition and secondly, the even more intractable problems of the status of Jerusalem and the right of Palestinian refugees to return.

Mr. Peri is now the director of the Institute for Israel Studies at the University of Maryland.

“The new approach is balanced,” Mr. Peri said. “Palestinians have to recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Israel has to accept the 1967 lines as the baseline for the future borders.”

Mr. Peri said he believes President Obama would bring the same balanced approach to the second, more difficult stage of negotiations. But that doesn’t mean he’d be likely to meet with success.

“My assessment: Neither party will accept the new proposal,” he said. “The march to the UN in September continues.”

President Obama criticized the Palestinian push for statehood declaration, dismissing it as “symbolic actions to isolate Israel at the United Nations.”

Technically the United Nations does not recognize states. Individual UN members do that on a bilateral basis. In reality, however, membership in the United Nations is generally considered to be confirmation that a country is an internationally recognized sovereign state.

Countries interested in joining the United Nations must first apply to the UN Security Council. If the 15-nation council approves the membership request, it is passed to the UN General Assembly for approval. A membership request needs a two-thirds majority to be approved, which today would mean 128 votes out of 192 member states.

Spain protesters defy ban to remain in Madrid square

MADRID: Tens of thousands of Spanish protesters have defied a government ban and camped out overnight in a square in the capital, Madrid.

The protesters are angry with the government's economic policies and have occupied the square for the past week.

The protest began six days ago in Madrid's Puerta del Sol as a spontaneous sit-in by young Spaniards frustrated at 45% youth unemployment and observed silence for a minute.

The crowd has grown to some 25,000 in the capital and has spread to cities across the country. Hundreds have camped out each night in Madrid.

They are demanding jobs, better living standards, a fairer system of democracy and changes to the Socialist government's austerity plans.

As the midnight deadline to disperse approached, many of the protesters wore tape over their mouths to imply they felt they were being prevented from speaking.

Police were on the scene but did not intervene and the outdoor sit-in appears to be growing rather than ending.

Pakistan ordered U.S. Special Forces trainers to leave

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has ordered the departure of up to 20 percent of the roughly 150 U.S. Special Operations forces trainers in the wake of a series of clashes between the two governments, a U.S. military official said.

Between 25 and 30 trainers were “told to leave” in the weeks before the U.S. commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden this month, apparently in response to an earlier incident involving a CIA employee who shot and killed two Pakistanis in Lahore, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive relationship.

According the U.S. newspaper report nearly 150 trainers of U.S Special Forces were in Pakistan imparting training to the Frontier Corp troops. Out of that 25 to 30 have been ordered to leave Pakistan.

The report further quoted a Pakistani official telling that the order to the U.S experts leaving the country has not been given out of any grudge instead the reduction in their number has become imperative, as Pakistan now has trained instructors more than its requirements.

Blasts in NATO tankers, 16 dead in LandiKotal

LANDIKOTAL: NATO oil tankers were set ablaze in two separate incidents late Friday night at Landikotal and Torkham killing at least 16 people, including 8 members of a family.

The sources said in the first incident at 10:30 p.m. the militants torched a Nato oil tanker in Khugakhel area on the Landikotal bypass. The tanker was parked on the roadside when it was dynamited with a time device, the sources said.

Six people died immediately after the incident while injured were taken to hospitals where 10 more succumbed to their injuries.

Meanwhile, yhe second incident took place after a few minutes at Torkham where an explosive device went off in an oil tanker at the Torkham parking hub, officials said. Soon after the blast, the fire spread and engulfed three more oil tankers parked near it.

Dollar edges down in Asia

TOKYO: The dollar eased against the yen in Asia on Thursday after rising to its highest levels in three weeks as Japanese exporters sold the greenback, dealers said.

The dollar bought 81.55 yen in Tokyo morning trade, after topping 81.80 yen earlier Thursday.

The dollar traded at 81.64 yen in New York late Wednesday.The dollar lost ground due to selling by Japanese exporters, a senior dealer at a major Japanese bank told Dow Jones Newswires.

Although selling pressure has waned from the exporters in recent weeks after the massive March earthquake disrupted Japan's production activities, "they still get some dollars to sell from their regular activities," he said.

The euro fetched $1.4281 in Tokyo morning, up from $1.4236. Against the yen, the euro traded at 116.47 yen compared with 116.38 yen in New York.

The yen moved little after government data showed a much larger than expected decline in Japan's January-March gross domestic product (GDP) due to the impact of the March earthquake, tsunami and a nuclear crisis.

Official data released early Thursday showed Japan's economy plunged back into recession in January-March, contracting by a much worse-than-expected annualised 3.7 percent in the first three months of the year.But attention is to be focused more closely on the expected broader impact for the April-June quarter and intervening monthly trade data, said Daisuke Karakama, market economist at Mizuho Corporate Bank.

"If the trade data shows Japan's exports deteriorating, the yen will likely weaken further because of demand-supply issues," he said.

The dollar eased in New York as Europe continued to battle over a Greek debt restructuring and new data showed the US central bank still largely unconcerned about inflationary pressures.

Minutes from the US Federal Reserve's April policy meeting showed very little concern over inflation from most Fed governors and also gave scant evidence for a quick move toward tightening. (AFP}

Osama fosters Arab revolt in posthumous message

WASHINGTON: Al Qaeda has released a message from slain leader Osama bin Laden praising the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia and urging Muslims to take advantage of a "rare historic opportunity" to rise up, US monitors said.

The 12-minute, 37-second audio message posted on jihadist forums on Wednesday by Al Qaeda's media arm As-Sahab addresses Muslims on the revolutions sweeping the Middle East and North Africa, SITE Intelligence said.

Speaking from beyond the grave in the posthumous message, Bin Laden recommends setting up a council to offer revolutionary advice and decide the best timing to spread revolt across the Muslim world.

"A delay may cause the opportunity to be lost, and carrying it out before the right time will increase the number of casualties," bin Laden says in the audio message, according to SITE's translation.

"I think that the winds of change will blow over the entire Muslim world, with permission from Allah."

A covert US Navy SEAL team killed bin Laden on May 2 at his Pakistan compound in Abbottabad before burying him at sea. (AFP)

US apologizes Pak over drone attacks

ISLAMABAD: The United States has formally apologized Pakistan over drone attacks, Geo News reported on Tuesday.

According to sources, the US apologized civil and military leadership of Pakistan over the drone strikes that killed nine people in North Waziristan on Monday.

The sources added that these strikes were scheduled before the visit of US Senator John Kerry.

The US has stated that it would work together with Pakistan on any future operations in the country.

Bin Laden was a US prisoner before being killed: Iran

TEHRAN: Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was a prisoner in US custody for "sometime" before he was killed by the American military, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday.

"I have exact information that bin Laden was held by the American military for sometime... until the day they killed him he was a prisoner held by them," the president said in a live interview on Iranian state television.

"Please pay attention. This is important. He was held by them for sometime. They made him sick and while he was sick they killed him," Ahmadinejad added.

He accused US President Barack Obama for announcing the Al-Qaeda leader's death for "political gain."

"What the US president has done is for domestic political gain. In other words, they killed him for Mr Obama's election and now they are seeking to replace him with someone else," Ahmadinejad said without elaborating.

Bin Laden was shot dead on May 2 in a US commando raid on a heavily fortified compound near Islamabad, Pakistan.

On May 4, Iranian Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi too had cast doubt on bin Laden's death, saying there were "ambiguities" over the way he was killed.

The Americans "said they threw his body in the sea. Why did they not allowed an independent expert to examine the body to say if it was bin Laden or not?" Vahidi said. (AFP)

Saudi diplomat shot dead in Karachi

KARACHI: A Saudi diplomat was killed in a drive-by shooting near the consulate in Karachi on Monday, the second attack on Saudi interests in Pakistan's biggest city in less than a week, officials said.

The motive of the attack was not immediately clear, but authorities said they were investigating whether it was connected to the death of Saudi-born Osama bin Laden, who was killed by US forces in Pakistan on May 2.

An official from the media section of the Saudi embassy identified the man as a Saudi diplomat. Karachi police named him as Hassan al-Khatani.

Police said that the Saudi had been driving a vehicle with diplomatic plates when two motorcycle riders unleashed a hail of gunfire at a crossroads in Defence.

"The consulate employee died of multiple bullet wounds on the spot," said Inspector General of Sindh Police Fayyaz Ahmad Leghari.

"The attackers fled on the motorbike," he added. "At this moment, we can't say who killed him," Leghari said.

Provincial home ministry official Sharfuddin Memon identified the dead man as a junior officer at the consulate.

"We are investigating if it was linked to the Abbottabad operation or was an isolated incident," he said.

Last Wednesday, drive-by assailants threw two grenades at the consulate in Karachi in what officials said could have been reaction to bin Laden's death.

But there was no claim of responsibility for the attack.

Saudi Arabia condemned the grenade assault a "terror attack" and said it had "full confidence" in Pakistan's ability to arrest the assailants, bring them to justice and provide the necessary protection to the Saudi mission. (AFP)

IMF Chief in custody sex attack

New York : IMF Chief Mr Strauss-Kahn sex attack on hotel maid being questioned New York police arrest JFK airport on Saturday. Mr Strauss-Kahn John F Kennedy airport minutes before it left for Paris New York police was taken into custody IMF chief.

Mr Strauss-Kahn, 62 years old.He had not been charged woman 32 who filed the complaint against.woman who worked at the hote. Strauss-Kahn, a possible candidate in the French presidency election.Next Aprial French presidency election but complaint against sex attack Mr Strauss.Police said emergency medical service to the Roosevelt Hotel minor injuries woman.The IMF had no comment on the incident.

President, PM ordered Raymond Davis release: ISI chief

ISLAMABAD: Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt-Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha told the joint parliamentary session that CIA contractor and killer of two Pakistanis Raymond Davis was handed over to the US on orders of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, a PML-N MP quoted the chief spymaster as saying.

When contacted by The News, Senator Mushahidullah said Gen Pasha stated: “We advised the government to resolve the issue. But we did what we were finally asked by the president and the prime minister to do.”

The issue of Raymond Davis figured when Pasha faced critical inquires from the PPP’s Fauzia Wahab besides the PML-N’s Mushahidullah and Anusha Rehman.

“Pasha initially tried to evade the questions but later said the ISI has acted on the advice of the prime minister and the president,” confirmed another MNA. He left untouched the questions like who paid the blood money, where the deal was done and the present whereabouts of the families, thereby confirming the suspicions already lingering in the mind of the public and politicians.

Senator Mushahidullah recounted several relevant and revolutionary couplets from the works of different poets including Habib Jalib and others to buttress his arguments. He asked: Who paid the blood money (Diyat); where are its recipients and how was Davis sent out of Pakistan when his passport is still with the Punjab government? He said when no response came to his question, he repeated it and ultimately got the reply.

He said that as the ISI chief has talked about forging unity in the nation at this point of time on the Abbottabad episode, there would be instant matchless national harmony and cohesion, more than that of the 1965 war, if just two announcements are made: one, Gen Pasha should declare that from now onward his agency would not make or break political parties, or create favourites in any political force by taking certain politicians to its safe houses; second, the Army chief or the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on his behalf should announce that the military would never destabilise the democratic system or impose martial law.

Responding to this, Lt-Gen Pasha, according to Mushahidullah, said: “On our own, we have decided to stay away from politics; and when I meet the Army chief, he too says there will be no derailing of the democratic system.”

The senator said in his remarks that it was a pity that the colonel and the major who tortured Makhdoom Javed Hashmi in the Sarwar Road Lahore police station served in the Army later as well and one of them recently retired as general.

Gen Shuja Pasha raised many eyebrows when he disclosed that there was not a single written Pak-US agreement over counter-terrorism operations inside the country starting from drone strikes to providing logistic facilities and joint operations.

He, therefore, stressed on the government to put in writing the degree of cooperation and the extent of operations to be carried out jointly or single-handedly in Pakistan.

Pasha also apprised the parliamentarians of the backlash of the ongoing Afghan war on Pakistan that, he said, would continue suffering for another five to 10 years.

As he spoke on the question of slippage of al-Qaeda leadership into Pakistan after 9/11, the ISI chief argued they could have been sorted out inside Afghanistan had the US shared information with the Pakistani authorities but this was not done despite repeated requests.

Background interviews with different lawmakers revealed the briefing went well after a bumpy start as Pasha’s opening remarks offended parliamentarians, in particular the PML-N, as they were said to be ‘couched in taunts and showed arrogance’.

The ISI DG, for example, opened his speech complaining about the indifference of the political class towards the sacrifices the spy agency had rendered in the war against terrorism after losing 86 officials whose families were now being looked after by the agency. As he said this, many lawmakers raised their hands to affirm that they had either met the families or spoke to the ISI officials regarding them.

Senator Pervez Rashid intervened, pointing towards Pasha’s speech terming it ‘political’, and saying they still have many questions to answer but that the spy chief must remain focused to the point for which he has been summoned. Opposition leader Ch Nisar Ali Khan and Tehmina Daultana echoed the same line, thereby putting Pasha and his supporters on the defensive.

According to insiders, Pasha spoke at length answering several key questions. Among them were the reported Pak-US agreements on drone strikes, unilateral strikes inside Pakistan in hunt for high-value targets, logistic facilities to Americans and granting them permission to operate inside Pakistan.

There have been many reports in the western media indicating that Pakistan had agreed on unilateral strikes, like the Osama bin Laden operation, drone strikes and the use of Pakistani bases by the Americans. A denial of these reports by the spy chief before the joint sitting of parliament was considered highly significant.