|
|
|
|
|
US may ban spying on allied leaders
NSA chief to face Congress
Pak army chief meets top Chinese officials amid terror concern
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Fresh violence grips B’desh; 17 dead
Ganesha cricket cartoon angers Hindus in S Africa
Afghan govt ‘tried to take revenge’
on Pak army with help of Taliban
|
|
US may ban spying on allied leaders
Washington, October 29 A week after reports surfaced that the eavesdropping extended to German Chancellor Angela Merkel's mobile phone, Obama is under pressure to take steps to reassure Americans and allies. A senior administration official said the United States had made some individual changes in eavesdropping practices but as yet had not made across-the-broad policy changes such as ending intelligence collection that might be aimed at allies. The official said the White House was considering a ban on intelligence collection aimed at allied leaders. A White House review that Obama ordered after NSA documents were made public by former contractor Edward Snowden is expected to be completed by year’s end. Obama has come under fierce criticism abroad over allegations the NSA tapped Merkel's mobile phone and conducted widespread electronic snooping in France, Italy, Spain and elsewhere. At least some of the spying appeared to have been done without Obama's knowledge. US Senator Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who leads the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Monday that her committee will conduct a major review of all intelligence collection programmes. — Reuters White House approved spying: report
Washington: The White House and US State Department approved the surveillance of some foreign leaders, a media report claimed today amid official assertions that President Barack Obama was unaware of the spying operations. According to the LA Times, precisely how the surveillance is conducted is unclear, but if a foreign leader is targeted for eavesdropping, the relevant US ambassador and the National Security Council staffer at the White House who deals with the country are given regular reports. — PTI |
|
|
Washington, October 29 U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the Senate's intelligence committee, joined the ranks of critics on Monday, expressing outrage at U.S. intelligence collection on allies, and pique that her committee was not informed. “With respect to NSA collection of intelligence on leaders of U.S. allies - including France, Spain, Mexico and Germany -let me state unequivocally: I am totally opposed," said Feinstein. — Reuters
Obama orders curbs on UN snooping Washington, October 29 Obama’s order is the latest known move to limit the NSA’s vast intelligence collection, in the wake of protests by allies. “The US is not conducting electronic surveillance targeting the United Nations headquarters in New York," said the official. — Reuters Allies, too, spy on US leaders: Intel
Washington: US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said on Tuesday that foreign allies regularly conduct espionage activities against American leaders. At a hearing before the House of Representatives Committee, Clapper said spying on foreign leaders was a basic tenet of intelligence operations. — PTI |
|
|
Pak army chief meets top Chinese officials amid terror concern
Beijing, October 29 Kayani, who arrived here yesterday, met top Communist Party official and Minister for Public Security Guo Shengkun, who oversees the crackdown against militants in Xinjiang. “China supports Pakistan in making counter-terrorism strategies based on its national conditions. We are ready to work with Pakistan and other countries to strengthen cooperation in this area,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing. She was responding to questions on whether China will raise the issue of terrorism with Kayani and whether Beijing is concerned about threats posed by militant groups based in Pakistan. Xinjiang borders both Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) and Afghanistan. Several reports in the Pakistani media have said that China has expressed concern over the activities of militants from Xinjiang who operate from bases in Pakistan's restive tribal belt. — PTI Defence ties gets a boost
|
|
|
Fresh violence grips B’desh; 17 dead Dhaka, October 29 Witnesses said an activist of the main opposition BNP was killed in clashes between police and protesters in western Magura district. An injured worker of the ruling Awami League died overnight in Kishorganj, officials said. Opposition activists earlier exploded several crude bombs in front of houses of ministers and leaders of the Awami League at midnight. They also set afire a number of vehicles and clashed with police and rival activists in Dhaka, injuring many people. Incidents of clashes, explosions and vandalism were also reported from other parts of Bangladesh. At least 24 crude bombs were blasted in Rajshahi, Sylhet, Barisal and Joypurhat, reports said. — PTI
|
|
|
Ganesha cricket cartoon angers Hindus in S Africa
Johannesburg, Oct 29 The cartoon by internationally-renowned political cartoonist Jonathan Shapiro depicts Ganesha as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Haroon Lorgat lying on an altar at his feet about to be sacrificed by his bosses. The cartoon in the Sunday Times also shows Ganesha holding a cricket bat in one hand and wads of money in the other. Representative Hindu organisations in South Africa have unanimously described the cartoon as a denigration of their faith. He said that he had asked the Commission for the Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities to hold a probe into the incident. — PTI |
|
|
Afghan govt ‘tried to take revenge’ on Pak army with help of Taliban New York, October 29 The plan of the Afghan intelligence of trying to work with the al Qaeda allies was "disrupted" after United States Special Forces raided an Afghan convoy that was ushering a senior Pakistan Taliban militant Latif Mehsud to Kabul for secret talks last month. Mehsud is in custody but the "bungled attempt by the Afghan government to cultivate a shadowy alliance with Islamist militants escalated into the latest flash point in the troubled relationship between Afghanistan and the United States," the New York Times said in a report, according to new accounts by officials from both countries. The Afghan intelligence was seeking to work with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in order to find a "trump card in a baroque regional power game" that will unfold once the American forces withdraw from the country. Afghan officials said the thinking behind this plan was that the Afghans could "later gain an advantage" in negotiations with the Pakistani government by offering to back off their support for the militants. Aiding the Pakistan Taliban was an "opportunity to bring peace on our terms," the NYT report quoted one senior Afghan security official as saying. The report said the US caught Afghanistan "red-handed" after its forces were "tipped off" to the plan. Publicly, the Afghan government has described Mehsud as an "insurgent peace emissary" but according to Afghan officials, the "ultimate plan was to take revenge on the Pakistani military." Pakistan has had an upper hand in the "murk of intrigue and paranoia" that dominates its relationship with Afghanistan. Afghan officials have often complained that the Pakistani military intelligence has sheltered and nurtured the Taliban and supported their insurgency against the Afghan government. — PTI Kayani meets top Chinese officials
Beijing: Pakistan Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Tuesday met top defence and public security officials here amid China's growing concerns over militancy in Xinjiang province that borders PoK. Kayani, who arrived here yesterday, met top Communist Party official and Minister for Public Security Guo Shengkun, who oversees the crackdown against militants in Xinjiang. Several reports in the Pakistani media have said that China has expressed concern over the activities of militants from Xinjiang. — PTI |
India, Saudi Arabia to ink pact on labour protection Shooting spree leaves 5 dead in Texas Credit card fraud: Indian jailed in Bahrain Indian woman held for murder in Oman Syria sacks deputy PM who met US officials Egypt judges resign from trial of Islamist leaders Graft cases: Fresh court notice to Zardari Egypt judges resign from trial of Islamist leaders |
||||||
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Dhaka, October 29
New York, October 29
