Sunday, August 23, 2009

Israel won't conduct separate trial in 26/11

Israel on Sunday said it would not conduct separate investigation into the Mumbai terror attacks in which some of its nationals were also killed.

"Indian agencies have been doing the job and hearing in the case against lone arrested Pakistani terrorist Ajmal Kasab is also on," Consul General of Israel in Mumbai Orna Sagiv said after a function in Vadodara.

When told about FBI moving ahead with its plan for conducting trial in the case in US courts, as several American citizens became victims of the terrorists attack in Mumbai 2008, Sagiv said, "There is no such move in Israel and we are awaiting the outcome of investigations into the case."

When asked whether Israel and India have plans to prevent such type of attacks in future, she replied, "We do not discuss this in open before media."

Israel wants to have tie up with Indian government to fight terrorism so that terror attacks like 26/11 do not occur again, Sagiv said.

On India's demand that Pakistan should arrest and try Hafiz Saeed, alleged mastermind behind 26/11 attacks, Sagiv said, "It is the matter between India and Pakistan and they should diplomatically resolve it."

Sagiv also showed readiness of her government in helping India overcoming the problem of drought as Israel has developed techniques for judicious and effective use of water in the areas, which receive scanty rainfall.

Families of two martyrs of 26/11 get petrol pumps

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umbai, Aug 23 (PTI) Families of two police officials killed during the 26/11 Mumbai terror strike were handed over petrol pumps today by the government.

The petrol pumps were given by petroleum minister Murli Deora to the families of Mumbai Police Sub Inspector, Bapurao Durgude and Assistant Sub Inspector, Balasaheb Bhosle, at a function held here.

The government had announced allotment of petrol pumps and CNG outlet dealerships to the families of those police and NSG personnel who fell in line of duty, besides setting up an education fund for their children.

Eighteen families, including those of NSG commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, ATS chief, Hemant Karkare, are entitled to get the petrol pump dealerships.

However, father of the NSG commando has refused to accept the dealership from the government.

Delhi highest municipal solid waste producer:Survey

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ew Delhi, Aug 23 (PTI) India's national capital Delhi is the highest municipal solid waste producer in the country followed by western metropolis Mumbai, says a survey by a business House

Delhi produces 6,800 tonnes of solid waste a day, while Mumbai generates 6,500 tonnes but in the absence of scientific management facilities these cities were dumping the wastes in landfill sites, says the survey carried out by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in 22 cities across the country

Mumbai sends 100 per cent of its waste to dumping sites followed by Delhi's 94 per cent, it added.

Best selling Brit author says Koran has ‘no ethics’

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ondon, Aug.23 (ANI): Best selling author Sebastian Faulks has courted controversy by saying the Koran has “no ethical dimension”.

In an interview with today’s Sunday Times Magazine, he added that the Islamic holy scripture was “a depressing book”, was “very one-dimensional” and unlike the Christian New Testament had “no new plan for life”.

Faulks was speaking in advance of the publication of his novel, A Week in December.

Best known for historical works such as Birdsong and Charlotte Gray, Faulks new novel addresses contemporary London. Its characters include a health fund manager, a literary critic and a Glasgow-born Islamic terrorist recruit.

Researching the latter, he read a translation of the Koran which he found “very disappointing from a literary point of view”.

He also criticised the “barrenness” of the Koran’s message and the teachings of the prophet Muhammad, especially when compared with the Bible.

“Jesus, unlike Muhammad, had interesting things to say,” Faulks said. (ANI)

Israeli PM says significant progress made in US settlement talks

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erusalem, Aug.23 (ANI): Four days before travelling to London for a meeting with American envoy George Mitchell, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has told his inner cabinet that "significant progress" has been made on negotiations with the US over a settlement freeze.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu and his special emissary Yitzhak Molcho, briefed Defense Minister Ehud Barak, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya''alon, Deputy Prime Minister Dan Meridor and Bennie Begin about the latest round of talks in Washington.

No details of the discussions were released.

One of the sticking points has been the duration of a settlement moratorium, with Israel wanting it to last six months, and the US reportedly interested in a two-year halt.

Israel has reportedly expressed a willingness to halt any new settlement projects for the duration of the moratorium, but wants to continue building some 2,500 units in the large settlement blocs during this period. (ANI)

Thousands evacuated as fires reach Athens suburbs

ATHENS, Greece -A raging fire bore down on Athens' northern suburbs Sunday, prompting panicked residents to battle the flames with tree limbs and buckets, and police to order 10,000 people to evacuate one town immediately.
Frightened inhabitants of Agios Stefanos gathered in the town's main square in early afternoon as flames closed in on the town center and police with loudspeakers directed everyone to leave immediately on the main highway to Athens, 14 miles (23 kilometers) to the southwest.
Other residents tried desperately to save their homes with hoses, buckets and branches. Planes swooped low over the town to pour water on the flaming houses.
"I call on all residents to follow the instructions of the police as to where they will go," an emotional Agios Stefanos deputy mayor Panayiotis Bitakos told Skai TV. "We had been begging the authorities since early in the morning to send forces ... It is too late now. Too late."
By mid-afternoon, the town was empty save for a few volunteers who were aiding firefighters. Houses smoldered and burned-out cars littered the streets.
Planes and helicopters, which had suspended operations overnight, attacked the blaze again at dawn. But with gale-force winds propelling the flames, the fire spread unchecked. TV showed airplanes and helicopters dumping water on a forest outside Agios Stefanos — and the fire re-igniting moments after they left.
The forests around Athens' northern suburbs have helped the fire leap to new areas.
"The pine cones are like projectiles — they cover long distances, too, and spread the fire around," said Avraam Pasipoularidis, mayor of the northern suburb of Drossia. "Everything around me is burning."
The fires ignited late Friday; by Sunday they were reported across an area more than 25 miles (40 kilometers) wide. They started in the mountains near the town of Marathon, from which the modern long-distance foot race takes its name. The army removed anti-aircraft missiles from a nearby military base as the flames approached.
Municipal officials said the fire was threatening the archaeological site of Rhamnus, home to two 2,500-year-old temples.
A state of emergency was declared Saturday in greater Athens: These are the most destructive fires in Greece since blazes killed more than 70 people in 2007.
Residents fled on foot, by motorbike and in cars, amid blackouts and cuts in the water supply. No casualties had been reported as of early Sunday afternoon.
TV stations broadcast frantic calls for help from people of different areas, with many complaining that no firefighting equipment had reached them.
A resident of Drossia pleaded with TV station Mega for help, saying far was within 45 yards (40 meters) of his home and he had no water with which to fight it.
Authorities evacuated two large children's hospitals, as well as campsites and homes in villages and outlying suburbs threatened by blazes that scattered ash across Athens. The flames also approached a large monastery on Mt. Penteli.
Officials said help was on the way.
"There are 14 planes — with two of these coming from Italy — and nine helicopters fighting the fire, alongside hundreds of firefighters, volunteers and soldiers," fire brigade spokesman Yiannis Kapakis told reporters.
"These will soon be joined by two planes from France and a helicopter from Cyprus. Cyprus will also send four fire engines and 60 firefighters," he added.
Elsewhere in Greece, serious fires were reported on the islands of Evia and Skyros in the Aegean Sea and Zakynthos in the west. Another large fire that started Saturday in the town of Plataea, 63 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Athens, was spreading unchecked in western Attica.
A total of 83 fires have broken out across Greece since 6 a.m. Saturday, fire brigade spokesman Kapakis said.THENS, Greece -A raging fire bore down on Athens' northern suburbs Sunday, prompting panicked residents to battle the flames with tree limbs and buckets, and police to order 10,000 people to evacuate one town immediately.
Frightened inhabitants of Agios Stefanos gathered in the town's main square in early afternoon as flames closed in on the town center and police with loudspeakers directed everyone to leave immediately on the main highway to Athens, 14 miles (23 kilometers) to the southwest.
Other residents tried desperately to save their homes with hoses, buckets and branches. Planes swooped low over the town to pour water on the flaming houses.
"I call on all residents to follow the instructions of the police as to where they will go," an emotional Agios Stefanos deputy mayor Panayiotis Bitakos told Skai TV. "We had been begging the authorities since early in the morning to send forces ... It is too late now. Too late."
By mid-afternoon, the town was empty save for a few volunteers who were aiding firefighters. Houses smoldered and burned-out cars littered the streets.
Planes and helicopters, which had suspended operations overnight, attacked the blaze again at dawn. But with gale-force winds propelling the flames, the fire spread unchecked. TV showed airplanes and helicopters dumping water on a forest outside Agios Stefanos — and the fire re-igniting moments after they left.
The forests around Athens' northern suburbs have helped the fire leap to new areas.
"The pine cones are like projectiles — they cover long distances, too, and spread the fire around," said Avraam Pasipoularidis, mayor of the northern suburb of Drossia. "Everything around me is burning."
The fires ignited late Friday; by Sunday they were reported across an area more than 25 miles (40 kilometers) wide. They started in the mountains near the town of Marathon, from which the modern long-distance foot race takes its name. The army removed anti-aircraft missiles from a nearby military base as the flames approached.
Municipal officials said the fire was threatening the archaeological site of Rhamnus, home to two 2,500-year-old temples.
A state of emergency was declared Saturday in greater Athens: These are the most destructive fires in Greece since blazes killed more than 70 people in 2007.
Residents fled on foot, by motorbike and in cars, amid blackouts and cuts in the water supply. No casualties had been reported as of early Sunday afternoon.
TV stations broadcast frantic calls for help from people of different areas, with many complaining that no firefighting equipment had reached them.
A resident of Drossia pleaded with TV station Mega for help, saying far was within 45 yards (40 meters) of his home and he had no water with which to fight it.
Authorities evacuated two large children's hospitals, as well as campsites and homes in villages and outlying suburbs threatened by blazes that scattered ash across Athens. The flames also approached a large monastery on Mt. Penteli.
Officials said help was on the way.
"There are 14 planes — with two of these coming from Italy — and nine helicopters fighting the fire, alongside hundreds of firefighters, volunteers and soldiers," fire brigade spokesman Yiannis Kapakis told reporters.
"These will soon be joined by two planes from France and a helicopter from Cyprus. Cyprus will also send four fire engines and 60 firefighters," he added.
Elsewhere in Greece, serious fires were reported on the islands of Evia and Skyros in the Aegean Sea and Zakynthos in the west. Another large fire that started Saturday in the town of Plataea, 63 kilometers (40 miles) northwest of Athens, was spreading unchecked in western Attica.
A total of 83 fires have broken out across Greece since 6 a.m. Saturday, fire brigade spokesman Kapakis said.

Doubts cast on Taliban leadership

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akistani intelligence officials have cast doubt on the claimed selection of a new leader to the country's Taliban.

The movement's deputy leader, Maulvi Faqir Mohammed, earlier told the BBC that a Taliban council had chosen Hakimullah Mehsud to lead it.

Pakistani intelligence officials have said the claim is a ruse to disguise factional fighting within the Taliban.

Pakistani and US officials believe the previous leader, Baitullah Mehsud, was killed in a US drone strike.

However the Taliban continue to insist that he is still alive, despite the announcement of a new leader being appointed.

Differing claims

Hakimullah Mehsud, who is in his late 20s, is a military chief of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) organisation formed by Beitullah Mehsud in an effort to unite the various factions under one umbrella.

He controls an estimated 2,000 fighters in the Orakzai, Kurram and Khyber regions.

However, Pakistani intelligence officials have said Hakimullah Mehsud is also dead, killed in a shootout with rivals days after Beitullah Mehsud was apparently killed on 5 August.
Pakistani officials told news agencies that Maulvi Faqir Mohammed's announcement was a trick to cover up an ongoing power struggle among the movement.

"The announcement is real, but the man isn't," Reuters quoted one senior intelligence officer in north-west Pakistan. "The real Hakimullah is dead."

But on Saturday Mr Mohammed told BBC Urdu: "Baitullah Mehsud has been in hiding and he is very ill. He expressed his will that the next Taliban chief should be elected by the Taliban Council while he is alive."

"The council held its meeting in the Orakzai tribal area... the council has decided that Hakimullah Mehsud will be the leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan," Mr Mohammed said.

But the BBC's Orla Guerin in Islamabad says many will see the naming of a new leader as confirmation that Baitullah Mehsud is dead.

Our correspondent says Hakimullah Mehsud is a young commander in Baitullah's own image and is reported to be equally ruthless.

Some believe he could be an even bigger threat to Pakistan, and to foreign troops across the border in Afghanistan, she adds.

South Korea Leader, Nobel Winner Buried

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EOUL, South Korea (Aug. 22) - Tens of thousands of mourners filled the lawn outside parliament for the state funeral Sunday of ex-President Kim Dae-jung, a longtime defender of democracy and advocate of reconciliation who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to reach out to communist North Korea.
The solemn funeral was the first held at the National Assembly, where Kim — who endured torture, death threats and imprisonment during his decades as a dissident — triumphantly took the oath of office as South Korea's president in 1998.
The man who made history by meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in 2000 also managed to bring the two Koreas together with his death Tuesday at age 85. A North Korean delegation dispatched to Seoul to mourn the late leader met for talks Sunday with South Korea's president, the first high-level contact between the rival Koreas after many months of tension.
"Farewell, Mr. Sunshine: Without you, we could have never known true democracy," read yellow placards held by mourners who gathered in central Seoul to watch a broadcast of his funeral.
The two Koreas remain officially in a state of war because their three-year conflict ended in 1953 with a truce, not a peace treaty. Tanks and troops still guard the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone bisecting the peninsula.
Kim Dae-jung, however, was respected on both sides of the border. As president from 1998 to 2003, his "Sunshine Policy" advocated engaging the isolated North and sought to ease reconciliation by plying the impoverished nation with aid.
In 2000, he traveled to Pyongyang to hold a summit with Kim Jong Il — the first between leaders of the two Koreas. Raising their hands aloft in a sight that would have been unimaginable just years earlier, the two Kims pledged to embark on a new era of peace on the Korean peninsula.
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The following years saw a flowering of reconciliation projects, including the emotional temporary reunions of thousands of Korean family members separated during the Korean War, the restoration of a cross-border cargo train and inter-Korean business ventures.
Some criticized the flow of money to North Korea, which has evaded years of international pressure to dismantle its nuclear program.
Relations have been tense since conservative President Lee Myung-bak took office in February 2008, abandoning the Sunshine Policy and insisting that North Korea must prove its commitment to international nuclear disarmament pacts before it can expect aid.
Pyongyang, in response, ditched the reconciliation talks and most of the inter-Korean projects. The North also has been locked in an international standoff with the U.S. and other nations over its atomic ambitions after launching a rocket, test-firing missiles and conducting an underground nuclear test earlier this year.
However, there have been signs the tensions may be easing. After welcoming former President Bill Clinton during his mission to secure the release of two jailed American reporters, the North freed a South Korean citizen held for four months. It also said it would allow some joint projects to resume.
Kim Dae-jung's death prompted condolences from Kim Jong Il, who authorized a high-level delegation of six to pay their respects — the first time the North has sent officials to mourn a former South Korean president.
Led by senior Workers' Party official Kim Ki Nam and spy chief Kim Yang Gon, the delegation went straight to the National Assembly mourning site Friday. Dressed in black, they left a wreath on behalf of Kim Jong Il, bowed before Kim's portrait and lighted incense, with red badges depicting Kim Il Sung, North Korea's late founder, pinned to their suits.
Extending their trip by a day, three North Korean officials met Sunday with Lee for a half hour, relaying Kim Jong Il's thoughts on "progress on inter-Korean cooperation," Seoul presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said.
The South Korean president then detailed his government's "consistent and firm" policy on North Korea and reiterated the need for "sincere" dialogue between the two Koreas, the spokesman said, calling the talks "serious and amicable."
"Thank you! Thank you! We're returning in a positive mood," Kim Ki Nam told reporters as the delegation departed for their flight. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency reported that the two sides discussed "developing the relations between the North and the South."
Though best known abroad for his efforts to reach out to North Korea, Kim Dae-jung was beloved at home for devoting his life to the fight for democracy during South Korea's early years of authoritarian rule.
A native of South Jeolla Province in the southwest, he went up against Seoul's military and political elite. He narrowly lost to Park Chung-hee in a 1971 presidential election — a near-win that earned him Park's wrath. Weeks later, Kim was injured in a traffic accident he believed was an assassination attempt, and barely survived a Tokyo abduction engineered by South Korean intelligence.
In 1980, tens of thousands took to the streets in Kim's southern stronghold, Gwangju, to protest the junta that seized power when Park was assassinated in office. Kim, accused of fomenting the protests, was sentenced to death.
International calls for leniency resulted in a suspended prison sentence, and he went into exile. Returning in 1985, he helped usher in new era of democracy in South Korea.
"We love you, Mr. President Kim Dae-jung. We will not forget you," read one banner outside the National Assembly. "Democracy, peace, human rights: We will carry out your will, Mr. President," read another. Yellow ribbons and balloons lined the street leading to parliament.
Memorials nationwide for the man dubbed the "Nelson Mandela of Asia" for his lifelong struggle for democracy have drawn some 700,000 people, the government said.
Prime Minister Han Seung-soo praised Kim as a passionate leader who dedicated his life to democracy, human rights, peace and reconciliation. He also recalled Kim's resilience.
"Today we are overwhelmed with heartbreaking grief and sorrow. The whole Korea is truly overcome with great sadness," Han said at the multifaith ceremony held under a blistering sun.
Kim's widow, Lee Hee-ho, bowed deeply before a portrait of her late husband. President Lee, former presidents and foreign leaders who were among the more than 20,000 who attended the funeral also paid their respects at the altar.
Another 14,000 mourners gathered outside City Hall, police said.
"It hurts me so much. I'm so distressed that we lost someone who devoted his entire life to peace, democracy and, ultimately, us," Lee Eun-ah, 35, said tearfully.
Kim was buried later Sunday at the national cemetery in Seoul, a blanket knit by his wife and a Bible tucked into his coffin.

Taliban kills Mehsud's family

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ak Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that Pakistan Taliban Chief Baitullah Mehsud's relatives have been killed by the Taliban for allegedly spying on him. Pakistan media reports that 4 relatives of Mehsud, including his father-in-law were captured on Saturday and reportedly killed on Sunday (August 23).

A paid agent, possibly a relative, helped signal the whereabouts of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan's former chief Baitullah Mehsud to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), helping it take out the Taliban leader in a drone strike on August 5.

Officials and tribal sources told Daily Times on Saturday that the Taliban were holding Baitullahs in-laws hostage. The Taliban still deny Baitullahs death but TTP deputy chief Faqeer Muhammad has named Hakeemullah Mehsud the new Taliban chief. No new strategy was undertaken while hunting Baitullah.

Agents pin-pointed the TTP chiefs position and the CIA took him out through a drone attack, officials familiar with training agents for tracking down targets told Daily Times. He (TTP chief) was simply not spotted through the powerful lens fixed on the drone, rather the complete set of procedures laid down for such missions was followed, the officials said.

A belt wrapped above an agents waist carries two electronic chips, the officials said. The agent pushes the first chip when he finds himself close to the target to intimate the satellite, which transfers the information to the control-room.

The second chip is pushed only when the target is present and the agent has moved to a safer place. That is what when the drone is positioned and Hellfire missiles are fired, officials explained. The Taliban confirmed they had executed a resident of Mardan on charges of spying for the CIA, one week after the August 5 drone attack.

The killed mans family said he had served Baitullah as his driver. The possible involvement of the killed TTP leaders in-laws in giving away his position was highlighted in a report published by the BBC on Saturday, which said Baitullahs father-in-law Maulana Ikramuddin, his son Ziauddin, brother Saeedullah and a nephew were in Taliban custody for the last few days.

FBI director outraged by Lockerbie bomber release

WASHINGTON -FBI Director Robert Mueller sharply criticized Scotland's justice minister for releasing the Lockerbie bomber, an act that "gives comfort to terrorists" all over the world.
Mueller sent a letter to Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, who cited compassionate grounds in his decision to let Abdel Baset al-Megrahi return to Libya because he has prostate cancer and was given only months to live by British doctors.
The angry tone of the letter is out of character with the normally reserved Mueller, indicating his outrage is personal as well as professional. He also sent copies to the families of the Lockerbie victims.
"I have made it a practice not to comment on the actions of other prosecutors," Mueller wrote. "Your decision to release Megrahi causes me to abandon that practice in this case. I do so because I am familiar with the facts, and the law. ... And I do so because I am outraged at your decision, blithely defended on the grounds of 'compassion.'"
Before he became FBI director, Mueller spent years as a Justice Department lawyer leading the investigation into the 1988 airplane bombing that killed 270 people, most of them Americans.
Mueller said Thursday's release was "as inexplicable as it is detrimental to the cause of justice. Indeed your action makes a mockery of the rule of law."
His letter was dated Friday, and was made public Saturday.
Releasing the convicted bomber "gives comfort to terrorists around the world who now believe that regardless of the quality of the investigation ... the terrorist will be freed by one man's exercise of 'compassion.'"
A statement from Scotland's government on Saturday noted Mueller has "strong views" because of his involvement in the case. "But he should also be aware that while many families have opposed Mr. MacAskill's decision, many others have supported it," the statement said.
Bert Ammerman of River Vale, N.J., who lost his brother Tom Ammerman in the bombing, praised Mueller for the "frankness and honesty" in his condemnation of the release.
Mueller recounted his own emotional experiences leading the investigation — seeing a teenage victim's single sneaker, a Syracuse University sweatshirt, toys in the suitcase of a businessman heading home to see his wife and children for Christmas.
"Your action," he wrote MacAskill, "makes a mockery of the grief of the families who lost their own on December 21, 1988. You could not have spent much time with the families, certainly not as much time as others involved in the investigation and prosecution."
He ended the Lockerbie letter with a frustrated question: "Where, I ask, is the justice?"
President Barack Obama on Friday called the elaborate homecoming in Libya for the freed bomber "highly objectionable."

Married woman raped by landlord in Delhi

NEW DELHI - A 22-year-old woman was allegedly raped by her landlord in the national capital, police said Friday. The woman, who was staying with her mother for the past six months after some problems with her husband, was raped by the landlord Surjeet Singh, 32, Thursday night in east Delhi’s Mandawali area, a police officer said.

“The woman was sleeping alone in the room while her mother and siblings were sleeping on the terrace. Finding her alone, Surjeet entered the room and raped her,” the officer said.

According to the police, Surjeet escaped from the spot after the woman started crying for help.

“Her medical report has confirmed rape and we are trying to nab the culprit,” the officer added.

3 bodies of 1,000-yr-old mysterious tribal group found in Alaska

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ASHINGTON - Construction workers unearthed the remains of three humans in Kivalina, Alaska, who are believed to have been members of a mysterious tribal group from about 1,000 years ago.

According to a report in The Arctic Sounder, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium was doing excavation for Kivalina’s new wastewater treatment plant when they came across some old bones, which an onsite archeologist determined to be animal bones.

Construction resumed until more bones were found - this time human.

Three bodies were found close to each other, two together and one in what could have been a wooden house.

Archeologists won’t be certain how old the Kivalina remains are until radiocarbon dating is done, but they believe the bodies were members of the Ipiutak - a group that lived in Alaska from about 500 to 900 A.D.

Artifacts found with the bodies show the elaborate, stylized engravings on ivory and artistic motifs that were characteristic of the group.

The discovery shows that Kivalina was occupied by humans about a thousand years longer than historians previously knew.

It also sheds light on a mysterious group whose range and numbers are only just coming to light.

Ipiutak are culturally distinct from the western Thule, who were whale hunters that are more clearly ancestors of the modern Inupiaq.

Ipiutak hunted seals and smaller mammals on the coast but don’t seem to have hunted whale.

Caribou bones and the use of wood suggest that they also used areas in the Interior.

How the Ipiutak would have sustained a village of hundreds on the resources of the area, without evidence of whaling, is a puzzle to historians and archeologists, as is where the Ipiutak went.

“It seems to be a prehistoric population that was functioning quite well on both the Siberian and the Alaskan side up until 900 AD,” said Peter Bowers, principal archeologist with Northern Land Use Research, which is studying the site.

“Finding out what happened after that is one of the mysteries we’re trying to solve and the reason this (discovery) is important,” he added.

As for the bones unearthed in Kivalina,city administrator Janet Mitchell said that the remains are being kept by the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium until the excavation was finished in case more bodies are found. (ANI)

Pakistan Taliban name new chief

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akistan's Taliban movement has named a new leader, its deputy head Maulvi Faqir Mohammed has told the BBC.

He said Hakimullah Mehsud, a close associate of ex-leader Baitullah Mehsud, had been unanimously appointed at a meeting in northern Pakistan.

Pakistani and US officials believe Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a US drone strike in early August.

However the Taliban continue to insist that he is still alive, despite their decision to appoint a new leader.

Hakimullah Mehsud, who is in his late 20s, is a military chief of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) organisation formed by Beitullah Mehsud in an effort to unite the various factions under one umbrella.

He controls an estimated 2,000 fighters in the Orakzai, Kurram and Khyber regions.

'Ruthless and rash'

The announcement by Maulvi Faqir Mohammed follows weeks of speculation, and rumours of shootouts and disarray in Taliban ranks.

"Baitullah Mehsud, has been in hiding and he is very ill. He expressed his will that the next Taliban chief should be elected by the Taliban Council while he is alive," Mr Mohammed told BBC Urdu.

"The council held its meeting in the Orakzai tribal area... the council has decided that Hakimullah Mehsud will be the leader of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan," Mr Mohammed said.

But the BBC's Orla Guerin in Islamabad says many will see the naming of a new leader as confirmation that Baitullah Mehsud is dead.

Our correspondent says Hakimullah Mehsud is a young commander in Baitullah's own image, and is reported to be equally ruthless.

Some believe he could be an even bigger threat to Pakistan, and to foreign troops across the border in Afghanistan, she adds.

Lawyers can question 9/11 suspect in writing

W
ASHINGTON -Lawyers for a Guantanamo Bay detainee will be allowed to question — in writing — accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a federal judge has ruled. The decision is a setback for government lawyers who had sought to limit the scope of detainee lawyers' challenges to the detention and prosecution of terror suspects.
In a written ruling, Judge Ricardo Urbina says lawyers for detainee Abdul Raheem Ghulam Rabbani can submit written questions about their client to Mohammed. Prosecutors say he worked for Mohammed, but Rabbani's lawyers contend he was just a menial servant, not a part of any terror network.
The ruling says prosecutors may review the answers before delivering them to Rabbani's lawyers to remove any national security information.
Government lawyers had unsuccessfully sought to convince the judge that any questioning of Mohammed by Rabbani's lawyers would risk exposing details of sensitive intelligence programs.
Urbina's 15-page decision says Mohammed may have information that could help Rabbani's case, and allows Rabbani's lawyers to submit "a list of narrowly tailored" questions for Mohammed.
Mohammed has boasted of masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks, and he is the most high-profile detainee of the 229 terror suspects held at the detention facility at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
His possible testimony was a contentious issue in another terrorism case, the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui. The court ruled in that case that a description of some of Mohammed's statements to investigators could be introduced, but not all.
After he was captured in 2002, Rabbani claims he was taken to a "Dark Prison" where he says that for a period of about seven months he was kept in the dark, deprived of food, chained to a wall, and threatened with hanging.
The detainee claims he falsely confessed to knowing Osama bin Laden as a result of this treatment.
Urbina's ruling comes in a civil court challenge to Rabbani's detention, but if it is upheld it could have broader implications as the government prepares to bring detainees to trial in federal criminal courts and military commissions.
President Barack Obama has ordered the Guantanamo Bay prison closed by January 2010.
Urbina's ruling is dated July 22, and was made public earlier this week. Parts of it are redacted, including a section describing what alleged terror work the government alleges he did for Mohammed.

Sri Lanka to train Pakistani army

L
ondon, Aug 23 (PTI) After its success in defeating the Tamil Tigers, the Sri Lankan army has agreed to train Pakistani military in tackling insurgency and offered the same to India.

The Sri Lankan army's new commander, Lt Gen Jagath Jayasuriya told the BBC that Pakistan had already asked if it could send its military cadets to train in counter-insurgency operations.

"We'll give a favourable response," Lt Gen Jagath Jayasuriya said of the request.

He said "Sri Lanka has offered similar training, through diplomatic channels, to other countries including India, the United States, Bangladesh and the Philippines."

The Sri Lankan military envisaged specialist courses lasting up to six weeks, directed towards small groups from interested armies, he added.

Lt Gen Jayasuriya said there was external interest in how the military had defeated the rebel group in practical terms. The army now wished to construct a written military doctrine in English.

India to set up cultural centre in Bhutan

T
himphu, Aug 23 (PTI) Bhutanese can now look forward to learning playing the sitar or the tabla and know more about Indian literature and theatre at their doorsteps, literally.

The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Bhutan government have agreed to open a centre here to "encourage more interest in the cultures of both countries".

According to K K Sharma, Indian embassy's second secretary and head of chancery, India is a culturally rich country and the culture generates a lot of interest abroad.

"The opening of the centre will familiarise people with this diversity, by increasing people to people contact between Bhutan and India," he said.

"Bhutan has many talented painters, sculptors and other kinds of artists and performers," he said, adding these groups will be able to visit and share their arts, crafts and ideas with their Indian counterparts through exchange programmes organised by the centre.

N.Korean ship''s cargo to be off-loaded for inspection

K
akinada (Andhra Pradesh), Aug.23 (ANI): The cargo on board the suspect North Korean vessel MV Mu San will be off loaded here on Sunday and searched for any suspect material onboard.

Sources said central security agencies and nuclear scientists will conduct a thorough investigation to check if the ship is carrying any radioactive and nuclear material.

Apart from that the 39-member crew of the ship, its North Korean captain Yun Jong Sun, would be questioned by the authorities at the port itself.

The vessel from Pyongyang has raised eyebrows for a number of reasons.

Firstly, there are fears that it may contain traces of chemical or radio active material and secondly another point of contention is the fact that there is a North Korean government official onboard, which prompts questions on the credibility of the claim that the ship is a merchant vessel.

Another critical question which needs to be answered is why were there conflicting claims made by the crew on their entry to different international ports, which did not corroborate with their passports.

Earlier, the seized North Korean vessel M V Mu San left Hut Bay in Andaman waters for Kakinada Port.

The Indian Coast Guard escorted the North Korean vessel, official sources said.

The MV Mu San is likely to be booked under the Indian Maritime Act for illegally entering in to the Indian waters.

According to sources, the Union Home Ministry, Defence Ministry and External Affairs Ministry are coordinating with each other to finalise procedure in this regard.

The Coast Guard detained the North Korean vessel after chasing it for over six-hours near Andaman and Nicobar Islands on August 6.

The Union Home Ministry had sent a letter to Port Blair Police asking it to file a report on entire chain of events, which led to the interception of the ship.

A team of two nuclear scientists from the Kalpakam Nuclear Power Station has carried out a preliminary investigation of the ship and ruled out the existence of any chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear (CRBN) traces on board the vessel.

Indian security agencies want to find out whether there was any CBRN consignment with sophisticated equipments.

The ship is said to be carrying 3.3 lakh gunny bags of sugar weighing 16,500 kilograms, sources said. (ANI)

Vajpayee, Advani aide Sudheendra Kulkarni quits

S
udheendra Kulkarni, close aide of former Prime Minsiter Atal Bihari Vajpayee and later of Lal Krishna Advani has decided to end his active association with the BJP. Kulkarni had stepped down as an office-bearer in 2005 after Advani's Jinnah controversy.

After the election defeat in 2009, Kulkarni had written that the "BJP and Sangh Parivar made a strong leader like Advani look weak, helpless and not fully in command".

He was against Varun Gandhi's hate speech and felt BJP's allies had drifted away after the Gujarat riots.