Pakistani Taliban Behind Naval Base Attack

The Pakistani Taliban has said it was behind an attack on a Karachi naval base that has claimed at least five lives and destroyed naval aircraft.

Such a cowardly act of terror could not deter the commitment of the government and people of Pakistan to fight terrorism.

Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani

A gun battle between security forces and Taliban militants raged on Monday morning inside a naval base in Pakistan -- more than 10 hours after attackers with guns and grenades stormed the compound in Karachi.

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Shahzad Afzal
http://shahzadafzal.blogspot.com/

CIA used stealth drones in Pakistan to monitor Osama’s compound

Washington: The CIA conducted secret flights of stealth drones over the Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad for months before the May 02 Navy SEALs raid that led to killing of al-Qaeda chief, an American newspaper quoted sources as saying.

The sources said that the sophisticated stealth drones allowed the CIA to go undetected beyond the boundaries that Pakistan has imposed on other US drones that carried out attacks in its tribal region near Afghan border.

The agency turned to the new stealth aircraft "because they needed to see more about what was going on" than other surveillance platforms allowed, said a former U.S. official familiar with the details of the operation. "It's not like you can just park a Predator overhead — the Pakistanis would know," added the former official, who, , spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the program.

Details: The News Tribe

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Shahzad Afzal
http://shahzadafzal.blogspot.com/

Banks warned against 'magic pen'

Central Bank says ink used in these Chinese pen disappear from cheques, documents and other types of paper

Picture only for illustrative purpose. The Chinese pen looks like a normal pen (FILE)

The Central Bank has sent an urgent letter to the country's banks, warning them against an illegal Chinese pen, dubbed the "magic pen," which it says can be used to forge documents with its vanishing ink.

The letter, headed "important and very urgent", said such Chinese pens have been illegally smuggled into the UAE, citing a warning letter from Dubai's general administration for criminal investigation.

In a report published on Saturday, the Arabic language newspaper 'Emarat Al Youm' said the Central Bank warned the country's 23 national banks and 28 foreign units that the ink used in the Chinese pen could vanish within one hour to four days after writing on normal paper.

"Banks are urged not to use customers' pens to sign on any official document and cheques to avert those Chinese pens…banks are advised to use only their own pens and to be extremely cautious when completing transactions with normal pens," the letter said, according to 'Emarat Al Youm'.

"This Chinese pen look like a normal pen but its ink is different as it disappears from cheques, documents and other types of paper, rendering those documents valueless…these pens are very cheap and are entering the UAE illegally."

The paper quoted the Central Bank as saying these Chinese pens had already been used in an unamed nearby country, adding that this had prompted the ministry of interior in that country to issue a warning to banks.

"This is a novel swindling method…the warning issued about these types of pens should be taken seriously by all bank employees," 'Emarat Al Youm' quoted Jamal Saleh, head of the risk management section at Dubai Commercial Bank as saying. "All customers should also be warned against this pen through their mobile phones, e-mail or other means."

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http://shahzadafzal.blogspot.com/

Banks warned against 'magic pen'

Central Bank says ink used in these Chinese pen disappear from cheques, documents and other types of paper

Picture only for illustrative purpose. The Chinese pen looks like a normal pen (FILE)

The Central Bank has sent an urgent letter to the country's banks, warning them against an illegal Chinese pen, dubbed the "magic pen," which it says can be used to forge documents with its vanishing ink.

The letter, headed "important and very urgent", said such Chinese pens have been illegally smuggled into the UAE, citing a warning letter from Dubai's general administration for criminal investigation.

In a report published on Saturday, the Arabic language newspaper 'Emarat Al Youm' said the Central Bank warned the country's 23 national banks and 28 foreign units that the ink used in the Chinese pen could vanish within one hour to four days after writing on normal paper.

"Banks are urged not to use customers' pens to sign on any official document and cheques to avert those Chinese pens…banks are advised to use only their own pens and to be extremely cautious when completing transactions with normal pens," the letter said, according to 'Emarat Al Youm'.

"This Chinese pen look like a normal pen but its ink is different as it disappears from cheques, documents and other types of paper, rendering those documents valueless…these pens are very cheap and are entering the UAE illegally."

The paper quoted the Central Bank as saying these Chinese pens had already been used in an unamed nearby country, adding that this had prompted the ministry of interior in that country to issue a warning to banks.

"This is a novel swindling method…the warning issued about these types of pens should be taken seriously by all bank employees," 'Emarat Al Youm' quoted Jamal Saleh, head of the risk management section at Dubai Commercial Bank as saying. "All customers should also be warned against this pen through their mobile phones, e-mail or other means."

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http://shahzadafzal.blogspot.com/

France's banning of face veils (niqabs)

Hebah Ahmed and Mona Elthaway, both Muslim women, debate France's decision to ban face veils (niqabs) in public.

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Shahzad Afzal
http://shahzadafzal.blogspot.com/

Tsunami Hits Japan After 8.9 Deadly quake

Watch the live streaming of Japan Earth Quake & Tsunami
Live streaming at http://www.youtube.com/tbsnewsi

Youtube: 8.9 earthquake, tsunami hit Japan. Watch eyewitness footage. 

See the latest photos of Japan's deadliest earth quake

A 33ft tsunami kills at least 88 people across Japan's northeastern coast after the country's biggest earthquake on record.

The fifth largest earthquake on record slammed the nation Friday. Hundreds are confirmed dead.

Many hundreds of people are feared dead after a tsunami, caused by a huge 8.9-magnitude earthquake, strikes north-eastern Japan.

Debris swirls as a tsunami waves smashes into a road in Sendai, Japan, following a massive earthquake -- sweeping cars, trees and buildings along in its wake.

• Thousands feared dead after tsunami

• 8.9-magnitude quake triggers huge waves

• Evacuations near nuclear power plant

• Tsunami alert for 50 countries, territories

Hundreds are dead as a massive wall of water ravages cities and spawns apocalyptic scenes

TOKYO — A magnitude 8.9 earthquake — the biggest in modern Japanese history — slammed the island nation's eastern coast Friday afternoon, unleashing a 23-foot tsunami that swept boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris miles inland and prompting a "nuclear emergency."

Hours later, the tsunami reached Hawaii, with initial reports citing little damage. Warnings blanketed the Pacific, putting areas on alert as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast.


According to Japanese police, 200 to 300 bodies were found in Sendai, the coastal city closest to the epicenter. Another 137 people were confirmed killed, with 531 missing. At least 627 people were injured. 

Tokyo residents shook off the horror of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake only to watch on television as the first tsunami waves crashed into coastal areas hundreds of miles northeast of the city.

The temblor was the most powerful on record in earthquake-prone Japan, government officials said. In Tokyo, traffic, trains and power shut down and air traffic halted, created an eerie scene on the streets of one of the world's largest cities as people stood outside and wondered what to do.

It shook dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) stretch of coast, including Tokyo, hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the epicenter. A large section of Kesennuma, a town of 70,000 people in Miyagi, burned furiously into the night with no apparent hope of being extinguished, public broadcaster NHK said.

Koto Fujikawa, 28, was riding a monorail when the quake hit and had to later pick her way along narrow, elevated tracks to the nearest station.

Libya - Unrest & Uncertainty

Libya: Unrest and Uncertainty

As militiamen and mercenaries loyal to Moammar Khadafy ferociously strike back at rebels in and around the Libyan capital of Tripoli, much of the rest of the nation is embracing a bracing reality: After 41 years of ruthless and total control by Khadafy, they are suddenly free to rule themselves. In Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city and the cradle of the revolt, chants of jubilation are interspersed with quiet meetings. Neighborhood leaders are working to figure out such tasks as how to direct traffic and ensure utilities are up and running as they craft a plan for the future of the city. For guest workers and other expatriates, the future is no longer Libya. By the tens of thousands, they have been attempting to flee the violence, massing at ports as they await ships, overrunning the main airport,, and crossing by any means possible into Tunisia. Here's a look at one day -- Thursday -- in the life of those parts of Libya under rebel control. -- Paula Nelson (33 photos total)

Exclamations of joy fill the air as residents of Benghazi find themselves in an unimaginable situation: Freed from Moammar Khadafy's rule for the first time in more than four decades. (Suhaib Salem/Reuters)

2

Protesters celebrate and shout slogans following their takeover of Benghazi. Even amid the euphoria, rumors abound that Moammar Khadafy will strike back, either through massive aerial or naval bombardments or through a string of stealth attacks from his plainclothes agents. (Suhaib Salem/Reuters) #

3

A Libyan closes a box of ammunition at Al-Katiba military base after it fell to protesters battling the splintering government of Moammar Khadafy. The base is near Benghazi, the nation's second-largest city and one also under the control of rebels. Army units and militiamen loyal to Khadafy struck back Thursday against rebels in cities closer to the capital of Tripoli, attacking a mosque where many were holding an anti-government sit-in and battling others who seized control of an airport. (Hussein Malla/Associated Press) #

4

A man fires his pistol into the air as he celebrates with anti-government protesters Thursday on an army vehicle in the eastern Libyan town of Shahat. (Goran Tomasevic/Reuters) #

5

Anti-government demonstrators help each other put on army uniforms that they took from troops loyal to leader Moammar Khadafy in Benghazi. (Asmaa Waguih/Reuters) #

6

The runway of a military airport has been closed down Thursday in the eastern Libyan town of Al Abrak. (Goran Tomasevic/Reuters) #

7

After fleeing Libya, dozens celebrate in Ras Jdir, Tunisia. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) #

8

Tunisians chant slogans as they hold Tunisian and old Libyan flags during an anti-Khadafy protest at the Tunisian-Libyan border crossing of Ras Jdir. Weighed down with suitcases, blankets, and, for some, horrific memories, people fled into Tunisia by the thousands. (Zohra Bensemra/Reuters) #

9

Anti-government demonstrators pray for the country along a Benghazi street Thursday. The uprising first gained strength in Benghazi on Feb. 16 when a group armed with gasoline bombs and rocks gathered at a government office and demanded the release of a human rights advocate. (Asmaa Waguih/Reuters) #

10

Rebels have gained control of the eastern city of Tobruk, where demonstrators had set fire to a police station and destroyed vehicles. Tobruk is one of a string of Libyan towns made famous during World War II, when Allied armies wrest control of them from Italian and German forces. (AFP/Getty Images) #

11

In Tobruk, troops and police have either withdrawn or joined with diffuse and disparate opposition groups to start providing some order and services. Several Libyans walk through a burned-out government building Thursday. (Suhaib Salem/Reuters) #

12

Anti-Khadafy protesters shout slogans in Benghazi. After a week of violence in which it threw off government control, this elegant port of about 700,000 is being run by committees of citizens as the dust of rebellion settles. (Suhaib Salem/Reuters) #

13

A relative of Ahmed Sarawi, 36, who was killed in the recent clashes, cries inside a vehicle in Benghazi. (Suhaib Salem/Reuters) #

14

Anti-government protesters celebrate their victory in Benghazi. Many residents insist on still gathering daily, in what has become a ritual defiance of a 1973 law that banned four or more people from gathering. Moammar Khadafy had long squelched any attempts to organize, even if it was for a civic group. (Suhaib Salem/Reuters) #

15

In Benghazi, a relative mourns the death of Ahmed Sarawi, 36, who was killed in recent clashes. (Suhaib Salem/Reuters) #

16

In Benghazi, the birthplace of the revolt against Moammar Khadafy, celebrations have replaced clashes in the street after rebels took over the city. Residents join former soldiers and jubilant rebels in setting off fireworks and condemning the Libyan leader. Thousands converge on the city center, waving red, green and black monarchy-era flags and giving out snacks and juice to passing cars, which honk their horns. (Suhaib Salem/Reuters) #

17

A former Libyan soldier who has defected to the anti-Khadafy forces looks through a broken window at a military compound in rebel-controlled Benghazi. Residents of Benghazi have jailed those they say are mercenaries and have set up defenses around the city. (Suhaib Salem/Reuters) #

18

An anti-government demonstrator, the colors of the Kingdom of Libya flag on his face, grabs a cup of tea in Benghazi Thursday. Rebels have seized control of Benghazi, the nation's second-largest city. (Asmaa Waguih/Reuters) #

19

A Libyan policeman who defected to the rebels mans a roadblock in the city of Tobruk Thursday. (Patrick Baz/AFP/Getty Images) #

20

Anti-government demonstrators show hand grenades carried by troops loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Khadafy while fighting demonstrators in Benghazi. Residents of Benghazi have jailed those they say are mercenaries and set up committees to run this eastern city now out of the Khadafy's control. (Asmaa Waguih/Reuters) #

21

Flashing V for victory, a Libyan protester celebrates as he stands on a destroyed tank at Al-Katiba military base after it fell to rebels. (Hussein Malla/Associated Press) #

22

Tunisian soldiers help Egyptian workers fleeing Libya load their belongings onto a truck Thursday after crossing into Tunisia at the border crossing of Ras Jdir. The workers said they were based on a construction site in the Libyan town of Zuara, which has fallen to anti-government forces. The workers said the town was controlled by "popular committees" armed with automatic weapons. (Yannis Behrakis/Reuters) #

23

Libyan refugees and guest workers who have fled the country try to board buses Thursday in Ras Jdir, Tunisia. As fighting continues in and around the Libyan capital of Tripoli, thousands of guest workers and Libyans have been fleeing to Tunisia. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) #

24

An Egyptian refugee carries a child at a military field hospital run by the Tunisian army at the Ras Jdir border post. More than 30,000 Tunisian and Egyptian migrants have fled to their home countries from Libya, the International Organization for Migration said Thursday, adding that it expects tens of thousands more to leave. (Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images) #

25

An Egyptian man rests in a tent Thursday at a military field hospital run by the Tunisian army, after fleeing from Libya. The unrest across North Africa began in Tunisia in what has become known as the Jasmine Revolution. Anti-government forces unleashed a fiery wave of street protests that ousted the authoritarian president, Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. (Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images) #

26

Egyptian workers wait for food to be distributed at a refugee camp in Tunisia. (Yannis Behrakis/Reuters) #

27

Carrying whatever they could gather as they fled Libya, Tunisians wait to board a bus at the Ras Jdir border post. (Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images) #

28

Men wait to board buses after crossing the border from Libya into Tunisia in Ras Jdir, Tunisia. As fighting continues in and around the Libyan capital of Tripoli, thousands of guest workers and Libyans struggle to escape the violence. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) #

29

Men clamber aboard buses in Ras Jdir, Tunisia, after fleeing Libya. By midday Wednesday, about 2,000 people had streamed over the Ras Jdir crossing point, part of a wider exodus of tens of thousands of foreign nationals trying to escape the North African country. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) #

30

Chinese evacuees wait to disembark at the port of Heraklio on the island of Crete. Two Greek passenger ships sailed from Libya to the island of Crete with about 4,500 evacuees on board, including Greek and Chinese nationals. (Yiorgos Karahalis/Reuters) #

31

Migrant laborers and other expatriates prepare to board a ship going to Greece from the Libyan harbor in Benghazi. (Asmaa Waguih/Reuters) #

32

The Libyan uprising and brutal counterattacks by forces still loyal to Moammar Khadafy have prompted tens of thousands to flee, including these Chinese evacuees arriving on the Greek island of Crete. Many of those fleeing were able to take Greek ferries to safety; others were stuck in Libyan ports waiting for ships to arrive and seas to calm. The main airport in Libya has been overrun with people desperate to leave, witnesses say. (Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images) #

33

Taxis packed with Egyptians fleeing Libya wait to reach the Sallum border crossing Thursday. Much of the inspiration among anti-government leaders in Libya came from the success of their counterparts earlier this month in Cairo. (Trevor Snapp/AFP/Getty Images)

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Shahzad Afzal
http://shahzadafzal.blogspot.com/