|
|
|
|
|
Iraq Prez names new PM, but Maliki hangs tough
US sending arms to Kurds in Iraq
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Israelis, Palestinians begin fresh talks to end month-old Gaza war
Pak braces for anti-govt protests
Oz wants India as ‘best partner in business’
|
|
Iraq Prez names new PM, but Maliki hangs tough
Baghdad, August 11 Washington, which helped install Maliki following its 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, congratulated Haidar al-Abadi, a former Maliki lieutenant who was named by President Fouad Masoum to replace him. But Maliki's Dawa Party declared his replacement illegal, and Maliki's son-in-law said he would overturn it in court. Washington delivered a stern warning to Maliki not to "stir the waters" by using force to cling to power. A Shia Muslim Islamist, Maliki is blamed by his erstwhile allies in Washington and Tehran for driving the alienated Sunni minority into a revolt that threatens to destroy the country. Leaders of Iraq's Sunni and Kurdish communities have demanded he go, and many fellow Shias have turned against him. Maliki himself said nothing about the decision to replace him, standing in grim-faced silence on Monday next to a member of his Dawa Party, who read out a statement on national television declaring Abadi's nomination illegal. Abadi "represents only himself", the Dawa member, Khalaf Abdul-Samad said. Maliki's son-in-law Hussein al-Maliki told Reuters his camp would fight the "illegal" decision: "We will not stay silent." "The nomination is illegal and a breach of the constitution. The new political crisis comes just days after Washington launched its first military action in Iraq since pulling its troops out in 2011. — Reuters Crown of thorns
|
||
|
US sending arms to Kurds in Iraq
Sydney, August 11 Previously, the US had insisted on only selling arms to the Iraqi government in Baghdad, but the Kurdish peshmerga fighters had been losing ground to Islamic State militants in recent weeks. The officials wouldn't say which US agency is providing the arms or what weapons are being sent, but one official said it isn't the Pentagon. The CIA has historically done similar quiet arming operations. The move to directly aid the Kurds underscores the level of US concern about the Islamic State militants' gains in the north, and reflects the persistent administration view that the Iraqis must take the necessary steps to solve their own security problems. To bolster that effort, the administration is also very close to approving plans for the Pentagon to arm the Kurds, a senior official said. In recent days, the US military has been helping facilitate weapons deliveries from the Iraqis to the Kurds, providing logistic assistance and transportation to the north. The additional assistance comes as Kurdish forces yesterday took back two towns from the Islamic insurgents, aided in part by US airstrikes in the region. President Barack Obama authorized the airstrikes to protect US interests and personnel in the region, including at facilities in Irbil, as well as Yazidi refugees fleeing militants. At the same time, the administration is watching carefully as a political crisis brews in Baghdad. US Secretary of State John Kerry urged the people of Iraq to remain calm amid the political and military upheaval. Speaking in Australia today, Kerry said there should be no use of force by political factions as Iraq struggles form a government. — AP
|
||
|
Israelis, Palestinians begin fresh talks to end month-old Gaza war
Gaza/Jerusalem, August 11 The Israeli military said one rocket was launched at the Tel Aviv area, in Israel's commercial heartland, before the ceasefire began on Sunday and may have landed in the sea. Gaza's dominant Hamas group said it fired the missile. A senior Israeli government official had said on Sunday Israeli negotiators, who had left Cairo on Friday hours before a previous three-day ceasefire expired, would return to Egypt to resume the talks only if the new truce held. Hamas is demanding an end to Israeli and Egyptian blockades of the Gaza Strip and the opening of a seaport in the enclave, a project Israel says should be dealt with only in any future talks on a permanent peace deal with the Palestinians. A month of war has killed 1,938 Palestinians and 67 Israelis while devastating wide tracts of densely populated Gaza, and Egypt's Foreign Ministry has urged both sides to work towards "a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire agreement". Gaza hospital officials say the Palestinian death toll has been mainly civilian since the July 8 launch of Israel's military campaign to quell Gaza rocket fire. Israel has lost 64 soldiers and three civilians, while heavy losses among civilians and the destruction of thousands of homes in Gaza have drawn international condemnation. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the new negotiations would be "the last chance" for an agreement. Israeli representatives are not meeting face-to-face with the Palestinian delegation because it includes Hamas, which Israel regards as a terrorist organisation. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said in a radio interview on Monday that disarming Gaza militants was crucial to sustain a long-term truce and he hoped this could be done by diplomacy rather than force. — Reuters Another UK foreign office minister resigns
|
||
|
Pak braces for anti-govt protests
Islamabad/Lahore, August 11 Canada-based Pakistani cleric Tahirul Qadri last night said his 'Revolution March' would go along with Khan's 'Freedom March' on Thursday demanding the ouster of the Nawaz Sharif government. "The Inqlab (revolution) march will begin on August 14 towards Islamabad. The revolution and Azadi (freedom) march of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan will go together," the Canada-based cleric told the participants of the Martyrs' Day in Model Town here. "No one will return till the government is toppled and the system changed," Qadri, who has been slapped with eight FIRs under murder and terrorism charges, said. While Qadri wants to topple the government for its anti-poor policies and corruption, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party is protesting alleged electoral fraud in the 2013 polls won by Sharif's PML-N. In an unusual move, Pakistan's judiciary today intervened to defuse the current political standoff by directing the government to initiate dialogue with moderate cleric Tahir-ul Qadri and cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan to maintain stability in the country. The Lahore High Court also summoned Pakistan Awami Tehreek chief Qadri and Imran Khan to appear tomorrow on a petition challenging their "revolution march" and "freedom march" respectively. — PTI Taking on Nawaz govt
|
|
Oz wants India as ‘best partner in business’ Melbourne, August 11 “Australia and India are most certainly ‘Partners in Business’ but natural partners across the board. The Coalition Government is seeking to elevate Australia to the status of India’s ‘best partner in business’,” Bishop told a gathering of high-profile business leaders and attendees at Australia India Business Council in Sydney recently. “Sure, we have a healthy trade relationship – two-way trade was valued at more than 15 billion dollars last year – but we can do better than that,” she said. — PTI
|
|||||
Bodies of Indian family in murder-suicide case cremated 568 Ukrainian troops killed in offensive against rebels Typhoon Halong leaves 10 dead in Japan
|
|||||
|
| 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 | |
The Obama administration has begun directly providing weapons to Kurdish forces who have started to make gains against Islamic militants in northern Iraq, senior US officials said today.
President Fouad Masoum asked Haider al-Abadi (pic), a leader of Maliki's Islamic Dawa Party, to lead an administration that can win the support of a parliament elected in April.
