Pakistan crackdown on Afghan refugees amid fears of influx: report

Pakistani authorities have launched a crackdown on Afghan refugees residing illegally in the country as fears have compounded that the exit of US-led forces in Afghanistan could ignite violence on the border, said a report published in The Washington Post.

In the wake of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, Pakistan and Iran received an influx of over seven million Afghan refugees. Several refugees, however, went back to their homeland after the Taliban were toppled from power by the US-backed Afghan forces in 2001.

Officials in Pakistan have expressed fears that the withdrawal of US forces in Afghanistan and shrinking US aid would propel natives to escape to Pakistan again.

“I believe this influx is already here,” said Mohammed Abbas Khan, a commissioner at Pakistan’s Office of Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees. “We are in a very tight situation ourselves, so having this influx is not desirable to anyone in the world.”

Although there are no definitive statistics on the number of new Afghan refugees, officials say that they have been receiving calls from local authorities about the springing up of new illegal settlements.

In order to discourage the racket of illegal immigrants, local officials in Peshawar are employing policies that would make it harder for Afghans to rent apartments or set up new camps.

Meanwhile, in the port city of Karachi, police squads are actively combing the metropolis for Afghan immigrants.

Federal officials are also in the midst of implementing new screening procedures along Pakistan’s 1500-mile border with Afghanistan.

This crackdown on immigrants and settlements comes at a time when Iran is also exerting immense pressure on the 800,000 Afghan refugees there to leave, according to Human Rights Groups.

Although there are 1.6 million legally registered Afghan refugees in Pakistan, officials strongly believe that 1 to 3 million reside in the country illegally.

National Security and Foreign Affairs Adviser to Prime Minister Sartaj Aziz underscored that Pakistan wanted the refugees to go back to their own country, adding that the immigrants burdened the country’s weak economy.

He also said that their presence made it easier for radical groups, with ties to Afghanistan, to operate clandestinely in the country.

Following an intense national debate last year, the National Assembly had sanctioned 1.6 million legally registered Afghans to stay until the end of 2015.

However, authorities fear that the number would rise on the outbreak of violence in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of Nato troops there in the wake of the Afghan presidential election.

A greater concern for the Pakistani leadership is that the Afghan economy would plummet after Western troops return home which would prompt those seeking employment to consider moving to Pakistan.

According to refugee official Abbas Khan, even though 83,000 Afghan refugees returned to their native land in 2012, less than half relocated last year and only less than 2,000 repatriated this year.

He added that Pakistan would only willingly accept a new influx of refugees in the event of a “humanitarian catastrophe”.

Under normal circumstances, he said, Afghan immigrants should expect to be subjected to new biometric border-control technologies such as iris and fingerprint scanners.

During a news conference in February, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah said over 1 million Afghan refugees were residing in the country’s most populated city Karachi.

Subsequently, he constituted a special police unit to regulate the influx of Afghan immigrants. He furthermore directed police to set up checkpoints in order to prevent immigrants from settling in the city’s neighbourhoods.

Even in Peshawar, residents are becoming less tolerant of Afghan immigrants. Earlier in March, the KP Assembly passed a law entailing people renting apartments to acquire recommendations from two Pakistanis.

Conversely, Afghans say that few people are willing to endorse them.

According to Peshawar’s police chief Ijah Khan, the law was necessitated due to the growing threats of terrorism and crime. He claimed that 70 per cent of serious crimes, such as kidnapping and extortion, were committed by people of Afghan origin.

Saudi ready to negotiate better ties with Iran: FM

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is ready to negotiate better relations with regional rival Iran, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told reporters in Riyadh on Tuesday.

His comments came as major powers held a fresh round of nuclear talks with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme amid a rapprochement between Tehran and the West.

“Iran is a neighbour, we have relations with them and we will negotiate with them,” the Saudi minister said.

“We will talk with them in the hope that if there are any differences, they will be settled to the satisfaction of both countries,” he told reporters.

“Our hope is that Iran becomes part of the effort to make the region as safe and as prosperous as possible, and not part of the problem of the insecurity of the region.”

Shia Muslim Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia have been deeply divided over a raft of regional issues, particularly the three-year-old conflict in Syria, in which Tehran has backed the Damascus government and Riyadh has been a leading supporter of the rebels.

Faisal said that his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif had been invited to visit the kingdom.

“Any time that he sees fit to come, we are willing to receive him,” he said.

Zarif said in December that he would like to visit Saudi Arabia and appealed to the kingdom to work with Tehran in the search for regional “stability.”

Faisal's remarks came as US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel was in Saudi Arabia on the first leg of a regional tour focusing on Iran's nuclear programme and the war in Syria.

US officials have struggled to reassure Gulf allies, particularly Saudi Arabia, over the interim nuclear deal that the major powers struck with Tehran late last year and which Riyadh fears will embolden its rival in its regional ambitions.

Washington's caution about arming the Syrian rebels has also soured its relations with its longtime Saudi ally.

After his election last July on a platform of ending Iran's international isolation, President Hassan Rouhani said he was particularly keen to reach out to Gulf Arab governments.

Nawaz Sharif meets Ayatollah Khamenei 14 may 2014

TEHRAN: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday met the Supreme Leader of Iran Syed Ali Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran.

The meeting was also attended by delegation accompanying the Prime Minister. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the Pak-Iran relations have historical perspective.

"We both are Muslim countries having the common traditions. These common bonds make our relationship special," Sharif added.

"People of Pakistan as dear to me as people of Iran," said the Supreme Leader of Iran adding that "I will offer special prayers so that relationship between Pakistan and Iran reaches new bounds and heights."

"I have full confidence that the visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would further boost the brotherly relations between the two countries," added Ayatollah Khamenei.

The meeting also discussed issues relating to mutual and bilateral interest. Both the leaders agreed that they have to work in unison for development of the region.

200 killed in Turkey mine blast, many still trapped 14 may 2014

The death toll from an explosion and fire in a Turkish coal mine rose above 200 on Wednesday as rescue workers continued retrieving the dead and injured more than 12 hours after the blast, the country's energy minister said.Hundreds more were still believed to be trapped in the mine in Soma, around 120 km (75 miles) northeast of the Aegean coastal city of Izmir, and the death toll could rise further, Taner Yildiz told reporters at the scene.Fellow miners said the fire was still burning underground, hampering rescue efforts in the country's worst mining disaster for more than two decades. A pall of smoke hung above the area.Rescue workers pumped oxygen into the mine to try to keep those trapped by the blaze alive, as thousands of family members and fellow workers gathered outside the town's hospital."The death toll is rising towards a point that we had feared," Yildiz said. He had warned late on Tuesday that 787 workers had been in the mine at the time of the blast, believed to have been caused by an electrical fault.Some 80 people were pulled out wounded including several rescuers, four of them critically injured.A cold storage warehouse, usually used for food, and freezer trucks served as makeshift morgues as hospital facilities overflowed.Medical staff intermittently emerged from the hospital to read the names of survivors being treated inside, with families and fellow workers clamouring for information.l

New Army Chief of India likely to be announced today 13 may 2014

The name of Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag, has been recommended for the top post. The Defence Ministry sent its recommendation to the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) shortly after receiving the go-ahead from the Election Commission, sources said.

Sources said the recommendation had only the name of 59-year-old Lt Gen Suhag, who is the senior most among the Lt Generals.
Army Chief General Bikram Singh will retire on July 31 and as per the tradition, the government announces the name of services chiefs two months before the tenure of the incumbent comes to an end.

The appointment of the next Army Chief had got mired into a controversy as BJP is strictly opposing it, questioning the ‘hurry’ and insisting that the matter be left to the next government as there is still time left.

Senior Congress leaders, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party president Sonia Gandhi, reportedly decided to appoint the next Army Chief during a party core group meeting last evening.

The Election Commission on Monday gave the go-ahead to the Defence Ministry to initiate the process of appointing the next Army Chief.

The Election Commission cited its March 27 order which makes it clear that appointments, promotions, tenders and procurements of defence forces are not covered under the Model Code of Conduct in the ongoing elections as well as any other election in the future, sources said.
  
The Election Commission, responding to a reference made by the Defence Ministry, said if the government wants, it can proceed with the process to appoint the next Chief of Army Staff, sources added.

Ireland Is Dying 13 may 2014

Ireland’s rate of emigration is continuing to increase and at one stage one person was leaving the country to live abroad every six minutes – the highest number since modern records began in the late 1980s.

New figures published on Thursday show 397,500 people have emigrated since Ireland’s financial crisis began in 2008, with most travelling to the UK, Australia and Canada in search of work.

During the same period 277,400 people have returned or moved to Ireland, giving a net outward migration figure of 120,100. In a 12-month period from April last year, 10 people left every hour.

Using the same cited data for the same 12-month period, more than 20 people moved to Ireland every hour. Of course, that also means over 30 people emigrated from Ireland every hour. The centerfold shot:

Almost a third of 15 to 24-year-olds, who grew up during an era when highly paid jobs were plentiful, are now out of work and even those with jobs have seen their wages slashed. More than a third of people leaving the country in the 12-month period to the end of April were between 15 and 24 years of age. Some 50,900 of the 89,000 people who emigrated were Irish citizens while the rest were nationals from other countries.

Yes, throw some dirt on dear old Dublin. The Celtic Tiger can no longer hunt. Time to put her down.

Two variables explain much of outmigration, age and educational attainment. I’ve posted quite a bit about ties between a college education and geographic mobility. Concerning age, the younger you are (as an adult), the more likely you are to leave. Relatively speaking, Ireland’s population is young:

In contrast to general European trends, the birth rate in Ireland is soaring. According to the Economic and Social Research Institute’s latest Perinatal Statistics Report, Ireland’s birth rate increased nearly 30 percent over the past 10 years, equating to about 17,000 more births in 2010 than 10 years before. The island boasts the highest birth rate of any European Union member.

Galway, a small college city on the Irish west coast, likes to tout itself as the “youngest city in Europe.” In 2001, 40 percent of Ireland was under the age of 25. When the going gets tough, the young and college educated get going. Everywhere, not just in Ireland. All those babies will grow up and go to college. Then they will move away like all the other twentysomethings around the world.

Human Rights Watch Says 'Strong Evidence' Syria Government Used Chlorine Gas

Beirut:  Evidence "strongly suggests" Syria's government has used chlorine gas on three towns in mid-April in violation of the chemical weapons treaty Damascus joined last year, Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.

"Evidence strongly suggests that Syrian government helicopters dropped barrel bombs embedded with cylinders of chlorine gas on three towns in northern Syria in mid-April 2014," HRW said.

The New York-based group cited interviews with witnesses and medical personnel, video of the attacks and photographs of the remnants of barrel bombs.

Doctors who treated victims said at least 11 people were killed in the attacks and "symptoms consistent with exposure to chlorine" were seen in nearly 500 people, the watchdog reported.

It documented attacks on the towns of Kafr Zita in central Hama on April 11 and 18, Al-Temana in Idlib on April 13 and 18 and Telmans also in Idlib province on April 21.

All three are areas under rebel control.Opposition sources have claimed several government attacks using chlorine gas, and Syrian state television acknowledged one such attack in Kafr Zita but blamed it on the jihadist Al-Nusra Front.

But opposition activists say the chlorine is delivered by barrel bombs dropped from helicopters, which only the government possesses.

HRW said video of barrel bomb remnants at the site of the attacks showed cannisters with the code CL2 -- the symbol for chlorine gas.

The group acknowledged it could not "independently confirm" that the chlorine gas cylinders caught on film were packed in barrel embedded in the barrel bombs that were dropped from helicopters."

But it said that it was unlikely the footage was staged or that the chlorine gas was added to the barrel bombs, citing symptoms reported by doctors and witnesses "consistent with exposure to chlorine".

"Syria's apparent use of chlorine gas as a weapon -- not to mention targeting of civilians -- is a plain violation of international law," said HRW deputy Middle East and North Africa director Nadim Houry.

"This is one more reason for the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court."

Syria joined the Chemical Weapons Convention last year as part of a deal to surrender its chemical weapons arsenal after it was accused of a sarin attack in the suburbs of Damascus.

Possessing chlorine is not a violation of the convention, but using the gas as a weapon is, and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons watchdog has said it will send a team to Syria to investigate the chlorine attack claims.

Lasting peace in Afghanistan requires reconciliation with the Taliban, MPs warn

Afghan police officers inspect a police vehicle after it was attacked by militants in Jalalbad, east of Kabul, Afghanistan

A lasting peace in Afghanistan will only be achieved through a process of reconciliation with the Taliban, a cross-party group of MPs will warn today amid mounting criticism about the UK Government’s investment in military equipment.

The Westminster defence committee – whose members include Welsh Labour MPs Dai Havard and Madeleine Moon – will urge Afghanistan’s new Government to engage the Taliban as a “matter of priority”.

Their report comes on the same day the public accounts committee – which includes Welsh Conservative MP Guto Bebb and Welsh Labour MP Nick Smith – will warn that the Ministry of Defence has underspent by £1.2bn on its equipment plan but does “not yet fully understand” why this is the case.

The MPs are concerned the MoD may be “storing up costs for future years”. They point out that the department still has “skill shortages in areas of expertise that will be vital to managing its major projects and keeping its spending plans on track”.

The defence committee gives a blunt assessment on the state of the drugs trade in Afghanistan, stating: “The counter-narcotics strategy of the UK Government in Afghanistan has failed. As we withdraw from Helmand Province, poppy cultivation is soaring to record levels and there is no sign that the Government of Afghanistan has the will or the means to tackle the problem.

“We are concerned that this will continue to fund organised crime, and undermine the development of democratic government and governance. We recommend that future UK Government aid to Afghanistan should be, at least in part, conditional on clear progress in developing viable alternatives to poppy farming.”

Its assessment of the Taliban’s strength is also sobering.

The MPs write: “The insurgency remains a strong and persistent threat to the future security and stability of Afghanistan”.

They note the rate of attrition among the Afghan army and police due to casualties and desertions remained “stubbornly high”.

Stressing the need for the UK Government to learn the lessons of Afghanistan, Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney MP Mr Havard said: “We pay tribute in particular to all those who have lost their lives, and the many more who have sustained life-changing injuries. The political process however is not complete and UK involvement will change but not end in December this year. Uncertainty remains about how best to engage in a secure way for the future and that is why a whole government, comprehensive approach is important to deal with all eventualities.”

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: “We have a highly effective process for identifying lessons to be learned in near real time, but we will want to look strategically across the campaign as a whole to see what longer-term lessons need to be learned, once the mission is over.”

Commenting on the public accounts committee report, Aberconwy Conservative MP Mr Bebb said it was “not clear to the MoD whether the underspend is the result of genuine savings or simply a result of delays in projects being implemented.”

US flying ‘manned missions’ to seek abducted Nigeria girls

LAGOS: Manned US aircraft were flying over Nigeria on Tuesday, searching for over 200 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram after Abuja dismissed a prisoner-swap offer from the militants.

"We have shared commercial satellite imagery with the Nigerians and are flying manned ISR (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) assets over Nigeria with the government´s permission," a senior US administration official said Monday.

The official declined to be named, and it was not immediately clear what kind of aircraft were being deployed, nor where they were based.

Boko Haram´s leader said in a new video obtained by AFP Monday that the girls, whose abduction has sparked global outrage, would only be released if the government freed militant fighters from custody.

Abubakar Shekau made the claim in a 27-minute video, which apparently showed about 130 of the teenagers who were snatched from their school in the remote northeastern town of Chibok nearly a month ago.

The militant leader said the girls in the video had converted to Islam and all were shown in Muslim dress, reciting the first chapter of the Koran and praying at an undisclosed location.

Asked if the government would reject Shekau´s suggestion, Interior Minister Abba Moro told: "Of course."

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said US intelligence experts were "combing through every detail of the video for clues that might help ongoing efforts to secure the release of the girls."

Their disappearance has triggered global outrage, in part due to a social media campaign that has won the support of high-profile figures including US First Lady Michelle Obama, Pope Francis and Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai.

 

US State dept refuses to comment on Modi’s visa status

Washington: The US continued to maintain silence on granting a visa to BJP leader Narendra Modi, whose party-led NDA is projected by exit polls to form the next government in India. "We don't speak on visa acceptances, applications, etcetera, so I don't have anything for you on that," State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters at her daily news conference yesterday. "We view our relationship with India as one that's vitally important for economic, strategic reasons, and one that we look forward to continuing to grow in the future," she said when asked about the issue of visa for Modi, who is BJP's prime ministerial candidate. In 2005, the US State Department had revoked a visa that Modi had for travelling to the US on the ground of alleged human rights violations after the 2002 Gujarat riots. The US has repeatedly said there is no change in its long-standing visa policy relating to Modi but he is free to apply for a visa and await a review like any other applicant. Narendra Modi during his campaign trail in Varanasi. AFP  Last year, Modi's plans to address by video a University of Pennsylvania conference were scrapped following opposition from Indian-American professors, alumni and students. However, in a sudden u-turn in February, the US signalled the end of its boycott of Modi when its ambassador to India Nancy Powell met him in Ahmedabad. US Officials have since said whoever is elected India's next leader would be welcome to the US. "We look forward to working with the leaders chosen by the Indian people to advance this important partnership and to set an ambitious agenda," Psaki said. She refused to comment on the results of the exit polls according to which Modi could be the next Prime Minister. Meanwhile, a top American expert has said the prospect for a dramatic resuscitation of Indo-US relations under a Modi government in India looks less than promising, which he mainly attributed to visa issue related to him. "Today, both Modi and the United States are trapped in a catch-22, Modi has declared that he will never apply for an American visa again — and there is no way to revalidate his now-expired visa if he will not apply anew," said Ashley Tellis, from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a prestigious American think-tank. "This constraint would not prevent Modi from visiting the US in an official capacity as India's prime minister because he would be automatically eligible for an A-class visa as a head of government," Tellis said. "Where international engagement is concerned, Modi is mostly likely to remember those who welcomed him while he was in the political wilderness—and that means Japan, Israel, Singapore, and even, with qualifications, China," Tellis said. The Obama administration, he said, at any rate, has sought to signal its willingness to let bygones be bygones, declaring through the congressional testimony of Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal that it "look(s) forward to engagement with the new government". While this constitutes an important overture, it is unlikely to win Modi's heart and mind. What would make the difference to him is either a public American expression of regret for the visa revocation or an open personal welcome to the United States, he observed. "However, it is politically impossible for Washington to do the former, and it is unlikely that the latter will happen before Modi is clearly elevated to the position of prime minister," Tellis added. PTI

Israeli forces injure 42 Palestinians, including 11 children

42 Palestinians, including 11 children, were injured by Israeli forces in multiple clashes that took place across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, from 29 April – 5 May. The United Nations reports that among those injured; 18 were shot with rubber-coated metal bullets, 14 were treated for tear gas inhalation, six were physically assaulted, and three were shot with live ammunition.

A total of 16 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli forces in the course of search-and-arrest operations in Nablus and Salfit cities, ‘Asira al Qibliya (Nablus) and Abu Dis Jerusalem) villages, and Silwan neighborhood (East Jerusalem). A total of 76 search-and-arrest operations were conducted during the week, slightly below the weekly average since the beginning of the year (91).

In addition, 12 Palestinians were injured in weekly demonstrations against the expansion of Qedumim (Qalqiliya) and Halamish (Ramallah) settlements and against the Separation Wall in Bil’in village (also in Ramallah).

Six other Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli forces deployed at a flying checkpoint at one of the entrance to the Issawiya neighborhood in East Jerusalem on 4 May. 

DR Congo football fans killed in stampede 12 may 2014

At least 15 people reportedly killed in stampede after police fire tear gas in crowded football stadium in Kinshasa.

At least 15 people were killed after police fired tear gas in a crowded football stadium in Democratic Republic of Congo, provoking a stampede, according to a police source and a local official.

Fans in Kinshasa grew angry on Sunday evening after their local team was defeated 1-0 by a team from the eastern town of Lubumbashi in a heated final, according to Emmanuel Akweti, local minister for the capital's inner city.

"Four policemen were harassed by supporters. When they fired tear gas, the stampede began, causing the deaths," he told Reuters news agency on Sunday.

Images on a local television station showed plumes of smoke rising from the stadium's bleachers.

Supporters, blinded by the gas, ran in different directions, sometimes falling over, the footage showed.

Akweti said 15 people died of suffocation and 24 were injured. A police source who declined to be named put the death toll higher, at 18.

A Reuters witness counted 14 bodies lying on benches outside the main hospital in Kinshasa.

Stampedes are a frequent occurrence at crowded events in Congo. Last month at least 21 people were killed when a power cut caused a stampede at a crowded music festival.

Saudi Arabia warns of MERS risk from camels 12 may 2014

Saudi Arabia has warned its citizens to wear masks and gloves when dealing with camels as health experts said the animal was the likely source of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus.

The Saudi Agriculture Ministry urged people who come in contact with camels to "exercise caution and follow preventive measures," after scientific studies commissioned by the Health Ministry proved a connection between camels and the virus that causes MERS.

"It is advisable to wear protective gloves, especially when dealing with births or sick or dead [camels]," state news agency SPA reported on Sunday.

The link between human cases and camels has been the subject of extensive study among scientists abroad, but has been relatively absent from much of the official domestic debate.

Saudi Arabia also reported three deaths from MERS on Sunday, raising the death toll from the disease since it first appeared in the country in 2012 to 142.

The Health Ministry said in a statement on its website it had identified three new cases of the coronavirus, pushing the total number of infections to 483.

The rate of infection in Saudi Arabia has surged in recent weeks, with the total number nearly doubling in April and rising by a further 25 percent in May.

The recent increase has raised concerns over the influx of visitors expected to convene in thev holy cities of Mecca and Medina in July during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, and again during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in October.

The disease has spread across the region, with MERS cases reported in the Lebanon, Egypt, Qatar, Malaysia, Italy, Britain and the United States.

MERS is considered a deadlier but less-transmissible cousin of the SARS virus that erupted in Asia in 2003 and infected 8,273 people, nine percent of whom died.

Iran unveils copied US RQ-170 stealth drone

Iran has unveiled a domestically produced version of a sophisticated US drone it captured back in 2011.

The stealth drone was unveiled in an exhibition at the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Forces' Central Command, attended by the Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on May 11, Iran's Press TV reported.

Other Iranian drones, including Shahed 129 and 125, were also on display at the exhibition.

The expo put on display the achievements of the IRGC Aerospace Forces in the design and development of drones, radars and defense systems as well as anti-ship, ballistic and anti-shield missile systems.

The US RQ-170 Sentinel was reverse-engineered by IRGC experts in about two years.

The RQ-170 is an unmanned stealth aircraft designed and developed by the Lockheed Martin Company.

The aircraft was downed with minimal damage by the Iranian Army's electronic warfare unit on December 4, 2011, while flying over the Iranian city of Kashmar, some 225 kilometers (140 miles) from the Afghan border, Iranian media outlets claimed.

Although US officials never confirmed it, Iran says it used its radio electronic warfare skills and vulnerabilities in the Sentinel's GPS receiver to trick it into landing on Iranian territory instead of its designated military base. The claims are considered plausible by many, since the drone did not sustain any visible damage during its alleged crash-landing.

Last year, Iranian officials announced progress on reverse-engineering the captured Sentinel drone, saying that they has completed decoding its software and extracting the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) surveillance data from it.

Iranian media outlets report that Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and attained self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems in recent years. Tehran established an arms development program during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s to counter the weapons embargo imposed on it by the U.S. and its Western allies.

Since 1992, Iran has manufactured its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, radars, boats, submarines and fighter planes. Iran also unveiled its first domestically-manufactured long-range Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) in 2010.

Gunmen storm Iraqi military barracks, killing 20

Deadly attacks on military facility in remote northern Iraq the latest in a series of assaults targeting security forces in the region.

Militants in Iraq launched an audacious attack on a military barracks in a remote area in the country's north and killed 20 troops, including some who had been bound and shot at close range, authorities said on Sunday, as other attacks killed 18.

The killings at the military barracks in the village of Ayn al-Jahish outside of Mosul mirrored two previous assaults earlier this year in the area targeting security forces. It also represents the latest blow to the government's efforts to achieve stability in restive Sunni-dominated areas.

Gunmen staged the assault late on Saturday night, two police officers said, shooting some at short range while others died fighting the insurgents when they stormed the barracks. A medical official, who confirmed the causality number, said 11 troops had their hands tied behind their backs and suffered close-range gunshots to the head.

The slain troops were in charge of protecting an oil pipeline that sends Iraqi crude oil to international markets and guarding a nearby highway. Attacks on the pipeline are common in the area near Mosul, located about 225 miles northwest of Baghdad.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, it mirrored a February attack in the area claimed by the al-Qaida-breakaway group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. On that occasion, fighters from the group killed 15 soldiers at the barracks, beheading some of them. In April, militants killed at least 10 soldiers at a base outside of Mosul.

Rassoul Backs Abdullah for Afghan President After Coming Third

Zalmai Rassoul endorsed Abdullah Abdullah for the Afghan presidency after coming third in the preliminary results from the first round of the election.

The support comes following an agreement to build “national unity” and work together on the peace process, stability and economic development ofAfghanistan, Rassoul told reporters today in Kabul.

Abdullah, a former foreign minister, finished first with 45 percent of the votes, short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff, according to the April 5 poll results announced on April 26. Former World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai came second with 32 percent, while Rassoul ranked third with less than 12 percent.

The endorsement comes after another presidential hopeful Gul Agha Sherzai, who served as governor in the Kandahar and Nangarhar provinces, backed Abdullah on May 3 in the second round of polls expected in early June.

“The endorsements would probably provide good news for Abdullah’s team,” Jawid Kohistani, a Kabul-based security and political analyst, said in a phone interview. “Both Rassoul and Sherzai are Pashtuns and can help Abdullah obtain votes from areas where Pashtun ethnicity is in majority.”

Rassoul obtained 53 percent of his votes from Kandahar, where most of the people are Pashtuns, while Ahmadzai secured 15 percent and Abdullah 11 percent in the province, according to the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan. Abdullah got most of his votes from areas where Tajiks and Hazaras are in the majority. Ahmadzai’s supporters were mostly Uzbeks and some Pashtuns.

Pashtuns account for 42 percent of Afghanistan’s 32 million people, while Tajiks make up 27 percent, according to the CIA World Factbook. Uzbeks and Hazaras each account for 9 percent, with other groups comprising the rest.

Iran won’t accept ‘nuclear apartheid’ - Rouhani

Tehran will never accept “nuclear apartheid” and its nuclear technology “is not up to negotiations,” Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said prior a new round of talks with the world powers.

"We have nothing to put on the table and offer to them but transparency. That's it. Our nuclear technology is not up for negotiation," Rouhani, referring to the West, said Sunday on state television. "Iran will not retreat one step in the field of nuclear technology... we will not accept nuclear apartheid."

Iran insists its program is aimed at boosting energy supplies and improving cancer treatment. Israel and Western countries led by the US however accuse Tehran of pursuing to build a nuclear warhead.

President Rouhani, who is viewed in the world as a more moderate leader than his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, faces pressure from hardline critics at home. On the other hand, the likes of the USA and Israel are skeptical that the Iranian President is looking to only develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

"We want to tell the world they cannot belittle the Iranian nation; they have to respect it," Rouhani stated.

However, he is looking to try and improve the country’s image abroad. "If one engages in a technological endeavor but is not doing good legal and political work, then the enemy might come up with a fictional excuse to cause trouble for you," he said.

The Islamic Republic's leaders normally use the term ‘the enemy’ to refer to the United States and Israel.

"If you don't have good public relations and are not able to communicate well, then you might find other evil-minded people misleading world public opinion," Rouhani said.

A monthly update by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in April said that Iran has cut its most sensitive stockpile of nuclear material by 75 percent, following a landmark deal agreed with the P5+1 group, which includes the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany last year.

The report by the IAEA shows that the Iranians have diluted half of their higher-grade enriched uranium reserve to a fissile content, from which they are less able to make fuel for a nuclear bomb. This has been refined to a 20 percent fissile purity into oxide for nuclear fuel, which is below the 90 percent purity needed for weapons-grade material.

The country has suffered heavily from US led sanctions, which has hit its oil dependent economy. However these have been eased over the last month, with Iran showing signs that it is cooperating with the IAEA. Tehran is gaining more access to blocked overseas funds. Japan has made two payments totaling US$1 billion, and South Korea has also made a payment for Iranian crude oil.

Following the report by the IAEA in April, the US has moved to release $450 million of frozen Iranian funds.

Europe declares Queen Conchita the Eurovision Song Contest winner

The 2014 Eurovision Song Contest has been won by Austria and Conchita Wurst. Her entry ‘Rise Like a Phoenix’ stormed to victory picking up a multitude of ‘douze points’ from across the continent.

Austria won the Eurovision Song Contest with 290 points, a winning margin of 52 over second placed Netherlands with 238 and Sweden were third. The United Kingdom finished in a disappointing 17th place but scored 40 points. A big improvement on recent years.

It is a resounding victory for the Drag Queen, now crowned Queen Conchita of Eurovision if not of Europe. In three minutes, Conchita Wurst became the most famous Austrian musician since Mozart.

Despite calls from Russia and Ukraine for her entry to be blocked, even Russia gave her five points and Ukraine send eight points to Conchita.

Conchita Wurst delivered Austria’s second Eurovision Song Contest victory, the first since 1966. She was overcome with emotion before composing herself to give a victory speech of hope and love.

I see our daughters in Nigeria girls, says Michelle Obama

WASHINGTON  - US first lady Michelle Obama took the rare step of delivering President Barack Obama’s weekly radio address to express outrage over the kidnapping of some 200 girls by Boko Haram extremists in Nigeria last month, and paid tributes to Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai’s ‘courageous’ struggle for girls’ education.

The first lady, delivering her first solo White House weekly address, said the abduction triggered a personal reaction from her and USPresident Barack Obama. ‘In these girls, Barack and I see our own daughters,’ Michelle Obama said in a video released on Saturday. ‘We see their hopes, their dreams and we can only imagine the anguish their parents are feeling right now.’
The first lady said in her remarks, broadcast the day before Mother’s Day, that 65 million girls around the world are not in school. She tied the kidnappings by the Boko Haram extremists to separate efforts to keep young women in other parts of the world out of school, including the shooting of Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan by the Taliban.
‘The courage and hope embodied by Malala and girls like her around the world should serve as a call to action,’ Mrs Obama said. ‘Like millions of people across the globe, my husband and I are outraged and heartbroken over the kidnapping of more than 200 Nigerian girls from their school dormitory in the middle of the night. ’This unconscionable act was committed by a terrorist group determined to keep these girls from getting an education - grown men attempting to snuff out the aspirations of young girls.’
 President Obama, she said, has directed the USgovernment to do everything possible to support the Nigerian government’s efforts to find these girls and bring them home.  ’In these girls, Barack and I see our own daughters. We see their hopes, their dreams – and we can only imagine the anguish their parents are feeling right now.’ Many of them may have been hesitant to send their daughters off to school, fearing that harm might come their way, she said. 
‘But they took that risk because they believed in their daughters’ promise and wanted to give them every opportunity to succeed. The girls themselves also knew full well the dangers they might encounter. Their school had recently been closed due to terrorist threats but these girls still insisted on returning to take their exams, Mrs. Obama noted.  They were so determined to move to the next level of their education so determined to one day build careers of their own and make their families and communities proud.’And what happened in Nigeria was not an isolated incident it’s a story we see every day as girls around the world risk their lives to pursue their ambitions. ’It’s the story of girls like Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan.  
‘Malala spoke out for girls’ education in her community and as a result, she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman while on a school bus with her classmates. ’But fortunately Malala survived and when I met her last year, I could feel her passion and determination as she told me that girls’ education is still her life’s mission.  ’As Malala said in her address to the United Nations, she said ‘The terrorists thought that they would change our aims and stop our ambitions but nothing changed in my life except this: Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage was born.’
Moreover, the UN Security Council expressed outrage at the abduction of hundreds of Nigerian school girls in two attacks by Islamist militants, demanding their immediate release and threatening to take action.
Boko Haram kidnapped more than 250 girls from a secondary school in Chibok in remote northeastern Nigeria on April 14 and has threatened to sell them into slavery, while eight girls were taken from another village earlier this week.

‘The members of the Security Council expressed their intention to actively follow the situation of the abducted girls and to consider appropriate measures against Boko Haram,’ the 15-member council, which includes Nigeria, said in a statement.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said the UN Security Council should act quickly to designate Boko Haram as a terrorist group. ‘We’re working with Nigeria in the U.N. Security Council to secure urgently needed U.N. sanctions on Boko Haram,’ Power posted on Twitter. ‘Must hold its murderous leaders to account.’
Boko Haram’s five-year-old insurgency is aimed at reviving a medieval Islamic caliphate in modern Nigeria, whose 170 million people are split roughly evenly between Christians and Muslims, and it is becoming by far the biggest security threat to Africa’s top oil producer. The Security Council statement ‘demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all abducted girls still in captivity and further expressed their deep concern at statements made by the alleged leader of Boko Haram threatening to sell these girls as slaves.’
It also condemned the latest big Islamist attack in Nigeria, the killing of 125 people on Monday when gunmen rampaged through a town in the northeast near the Cameroon border.

Why is Britain such a bad place to be a mother?

David Cameron may think the Tories are 'underselling' the work they've done for women but, as the UK comes joint-26th place with Belarus in the World Mothers Index, Sally Peck offers a prescription for a better Britain: good childcare, more female MPs, and income equality.David Cameron has asked his MPs to unleash a PR offensive on women, to boast of the advancements the Conservative Party has made in the battle for gender equality.

Unfortunately for the Prime Minister, his call came a day after Britain was ranked joint 26th in the World Mothers Index with Belarus.

The UK has the sixth largest economy in the world, in terms of GDP. Belarus is ranked 67th. It is outrageous that we come so far behind when measuring the prospects of our women and children. Angry commenters online like to blame this on immigration. But our problems are universal; it's not a case of one community or another bringing overall rates down.

As a mother-of-two here are the four things I believe have to happen to make Britain a better place to be a mother:

1. Top-quality state-funded childcare

The UK simply does not have this. Countries awarded top rankings in the World Mothers Index – Finland, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, the Netherlands, Denmark and Germany – all offer high-quality childcare to all families. And the offer is taken up.