Saturday, October 8, 2011

DTN News - WHITE HOUSE NEWS: Obama Boarding Marine One Helicopter For Camp David

DTN News - WHITE HOUSE NEWS: Obama Boarding Marine One Helicopter For Camp David

(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 8, 2011: U.S. President Barack Obama boards the Marine One helicopter at Joint Base Andrews outside Washington before departing to Camp David October 8, 2011.

DTN News - SEARCH FOR GADDAFI: Libyan NTC Fighters Strom The City Of Sirte, Facing Heavy Fires From Pro-Gaddafi's Forces

DTN News - SEARCH FOR GADDAFI: Libyan NTC Fighters Strom The City Of Sirte, Facing Heavy Fires From Pro-Gaddafi's Forces

(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 8, 2011: A National Transitional Council fighter drives a ehicle towards the front line during a sand storm in the city of Sirte on October 8, 2011.

Forces loyal to Libya's interim government battling Moamer Kadhafi diehards for full control of Sirte slowed their advance as a sandstorm whipped up around the ousted despot's birthplace. (Photo - Getty)

DTN News - WIKILEAKS NEWS: Julian Assange Addresses STOP THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN Rally At Trafalgar Square, Central London

DTN News - WIKILEAKS NEWS: Julian Assange Addresses STOP THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN Rally At Trafalgar Square, Central London

(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 8, 2011: WikiLeaks website founder Julian Assange addresses a Stop the War rally in Trafalgar Square, central London October 8, 2011.

The rally is timed to coincide with this week's tenth anniversary of the start of the war in Afghanistan. (Photo - Reuters)

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: NATO's Oil Tanker Bombed In Jamrud, Khyber Region Pakistan

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: NATO's Oil Tanker Bombed In Jamrud, Khyber Region Pakistan

(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 8, 2011: A security official stands near an oil tanker that was set ablaze by a bomb blast in Jamrud, located in Pakistan's Khyber region October 8, 2011.

A bomb struck a NATO truck, carrying fuel for foreign forces in Afghanistan, in the northwestern Khyber region but caused no casualties, local media reported. (Photo - Reuters)

Thursday, October 6, 2011

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Afghan And US Soldiers Search Afghan And His Truck At Afghan-Pak Border

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Afghan And US Soldiers Search Afghan And His Truck At Afghan-Pak Border

(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 6, 2011: Afghan Border Security soldiers and US army soldiers from Alfa battery company HHB 3-7 Field Artillery Regiment 3rd Bct 25th ID search an Afghan man and his small truck, during a mission in the Turkham Nangarhar region of Afghanistan bordering Pakistan, on October 5, 2011.

Turkham is a border crossing town in the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and the Khyber Agency of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

A decade of fighting in Afghanistan has since snowballed into a huge effort involving around 130,000 foreign troops from dozens of countries, with the resilient Taliban using homemade bombs and guerrilla tactics in a bid to undermine the Afghan government and the NATO mission. (Photo - Getty)

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Pakistan Our Twin Brother, India A Friend Says Hamid Karzai

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: Pakistan Our Twin Brother, India A Friend Says Hamid Karzai

(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 5, 2011: Afghan President Hamid Karzai sought to reassure Pakistan today about his country's new partnership deal signed with India, which will see New Delhi help train Afghan security forces.
"Pakistan is a twin brother, India is a great friend. The agreement that we signed yesterday with our friend will not affect our brother," Karzai told an audience in New Delhi.
The strategic partnership sealed with India on Tuesday -- the first such pact between Afghanistan and another country -- deepens already friendly ties and aims to boost trade, security and cultural links.
But Indian involvement in Afghanistan is extremely sensitive because of the delicate and often deadly power games in South Asia, with Pakistan vehemently opposed to its arch-foe meddling in what it considers its backyard.
"The signing of the strategic partnership with India is not directed against any country. It is not directed against any other entity. This is for Afghanistan to benefit from the strength of India," Karzai added.
New Delhi, fearful of the return of an Islamist regime in Kabul, has ploughed more than $2 billion of aid into Afghanistan to gain influence, helping fund highways and the new national parliament building.
Karzai stressed that the focus of his efforts in bringing peace to his war-torn country, where international forces are set to withdraw from 2014, would now be on talking to Pakistan.
He added, however, that engagement with Islamabad had "unfortunately not yet received the result that we want".
Relations between the two nations are severely strained after Karzai accused his neighbour of playing a "double-game" by covertly funding militant groups that carry out attacks in Afghanistan.
The assassination of Kabul's peace envoy to the Islamists last month forced Karzai to re-examine his long-running strategy of trying to broker contacts with the Taliban to open peace negotiations.
"We have now decided not to talk to the Taliban because we don't know their address. When we find them, we will talk to them. Therefore we have decided to talk to our brothers, our neighbours, in Pakistan," Karzai said.
Analysts in India had predicted that Karzai, angry at Pakistan and wary of a drawdown of US troops by 2014, would look to elevate India's role in stabilising his war-torn country.
The strategic agreement includes pledges by India to help train and equip Afghan security forces and improve two-way trade, with both countries promising to work for "everlasting peace and friendship between the two governments".

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

DTN News - CHAOS IN SOMALIA: al-Shabab Militants Attacked Ministry of Education In Mogadishu, Killing 55

DTN News - CHAOS IN SOMALIA: al-Shabab Militants Attacked Ministry of Education In Mogadishu, Killing 55

(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 4, 2011: Somalis carry a wounded man at the scene of an explosion in Mogadishu, Somalia, Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011.

A rescue official says at least 55 people were killed after a car laden with explosives blew up in front of the Ministry of Education in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

The al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on a website it uses, after more than a month of relative calm in Mogadishu. (Photo - AP)

DTN News - SEARCH FOR GADDAFI: Libyan National Transitional Council Fighter Fires At Gaddafi'S Picture In Sirte

DTN News - SEARCH FOR GADDAFI: Libyan National Transitional Council Fighter Fires At Gaddafi'S Picture In Sirte

(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 4, 2011: An anti-Gaddafi fighter fires at a picture of Muammar Gaddafi that he found during a house search after taking control of the town of Bou Hadi in Sirte October 3, 2011. (Photo - Reuters)

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Russia,U.S. To Hold Naval Anti-Terror Exercises

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Russia,U.S. To Hold Naval Anti-Terror Exercises

(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India / VLADIVOSTOK, Russia - October 4, 2011: The Russian and the United States navies will carry out joint anti-terrorism exercises in late October near the Mariana Islands, a Russian Pacific Fleet spokesman said.

Exercise Pacific Eagle will simulate Russian and U.S. ships liberating a vessel seized by terrorists.
The U.S. Navy's guided missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald, which will take part in the drills, left Russian Far Eastern port of Vladivostok on Tuesday after a four-day port visit.

"The scenario of the upcoming Pacific Eagle anti-terrorism exercises was discussed in detail during the Fitzgerald's visit," Capt. 1st Rank Roman Martov said, adding Russian will send Pacific Fleet vessels including the guided missile cruiser Varyag to the exercise.

USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. Named after Vietnam War hero U.S. Navy Lt. William Charles Fitzgerald, it was laid down on February 9, 1993 and commissioned on October 14, 1995.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: US Uses Pakistan As Scapegoat For Afghanistan Failure Says Pervez Musharraf


DTN News - AFGHAN WAR NEWS: US Uses Pakistan As Scapegoat For Afghanistan Failure Says Pervez Musharraf

(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 2, 2011: Pakistan’s former President Pervez Musharraf has accused the United States of using Pakistan as a scapegoat for its failure in Afghanistan.

Musharraf dismissed as irresponsible the recent statements by former US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen that Pakistan's spy agency was supporting the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network.

Talking to Express television, Musharraf called on the US to stop the blame game adding that Pakistan and the US need to come onto the same page against a common enemy.

He said that the world needs to understand the stances of Pakistan, and unless the US stops violating Pakistani interests, there would be no more alliance. Musharraf also said that the US was responsible for controlling Haqqani activity on the Afghan side of the border.

Musharraf rejected the impression that he had allowed the US drone attacks on the tribal regions under a deal and said that only logistic support for unarmed drones had been extended. He went on to say that during his time in office there had been a total of nine drone strikes while these had exponentially increased during the term of the current government.

He pointed out that India was being accorded space in the Afghan peace process at the cost of Pakistan. 'Any result of a peace process in favor of India would not be acceptable to Pakistan and the US must understand this.'

Musharraf said that Pakistan must use all media sources (internal and external) to project Pakistan’s interests and reasoning in Afghanistan.

Musharraf also reminded the US that it was the Pakistan army which had conducted a successful operation in the Swat valley against the Tehrik-e-Taliban of Pakistan.

Musharraf said that Pakistan’s greatest desire is a stable and peaceful Afghanistan.

For this reason Pakistan was supporting the peace talks which were led by Burhanuddin Rabbani.

Pakistan must use “all media sources, internal and external” to project the country’s “interests and reasoning” in Afghanistan, the 68-year-old former president said in an appearance on a programme on Express 24/7 news channel.

Musharraf was of the opinion that Pakistan and Afghanistan need to talk to those Taliban factions that seek peace. Reuters
Pakistan and the US should be on “the same page” on Afghanistan as any political instability in the war-torn country could lead to a repeat of the events that occurred in the 1990s following the fall of the Soviet Union, he said.

“If we have an unstable Afghanistan on the border, if the people of Afghanistan cannot handle the situation themselves (and) the coalition and the US (forces) leave as they have decided in 2014 and they leave a mess in Afghanistan, then that possibility of history repeating itself is very much possible,” he said.

Referring to accusations by American officials that the Inter-Services Intelligence agency was waging a proxy war in Afghanistan, Musharraf claimed the US was using Pakistan as a scapegoat for its failures in the neighbouring country.

He described the allegations about the ISI supporting the Haqqani network as “irresponsible”. The responsibility for dealing with the Haqqanis should be “equally shared” by Pakistan and the US, he said.

Pakistani forces should use whatever influence they have and tell the Haqqanis not to cross the border. At the same time, US forces are responsible for controlling the Haqqanis on the Afghan side of the border, he added.

Musharraf said the blame game needs to stop so that Pakistan and the US could work against a common enemy. The world needs to understand Pakistan’s viewpoint and unless the US stops violating Pakistani interests, there could be no alliance between the two sides, he contended.

Doors for talks can never be closed, even with militant organisations, Musharraf said, noting that even the US has kept the door open for negotiations with the Haqqanis.

Musharraf claimed the way forward lay in talking to “peace-seeking Taliban”. He pointed out that while not all Pashtuns were Taliban, all Taliban were Pashtuns. “We need to identify the peace-seeking Taliban and hold reconciliatory talks with them,” he said.

Musharraf was of the opinion that Pakistan and Afghanistan need to talk to those Taliban factions that seek peace. However, this selective process had been dubbed by the US as a sort of double game, he claimed.

The former President rejected allegations that he had concluded a deal with the US administration during his regime to allow drone strikes in Pakistan. He said Pakistan had only provided logistical support for unarmed drones.

“If there was an agreement between me and the US…why has the new government not gone ahead and broken this agreement?” he asked.

'Pakistan will be the loser if there is no peace and stability in Afghanistan,' he said.

DTN News - ISRAEL DEFENSE NEWS: US Welcomes Israel Call For Return To Peace Talks



DTN News - ISRAEL DEFENSE NEWS: US Welcomes Israel Call For Return To Peace Talks

(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 2, 2011: The United States on Sunday welcomed Israel's apparent acceptance of a plan by the so-called Middle East Quartet to return to talks with the Palestinians, saying it was the best chance for peace.

Israel called Sunday for an immediate return to peace talks under the framework of a proposal by the Quartet -- the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.

But the Jewish state said the plan included no preconditions -- an interpretation the Palestinians quickly rejected.

"We welcome the Israeli government's announcement today expressing readiness to resume negotiations with the Palestinians, as called for by the Quartet," US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement.

"The Palestinians expressed support for the Quartet approach on September 29," she added.

"The US once again calls on both parties to resume negotiations without preconditions, on the timetable proposed by the Quartet, as the best means to advance their interests, resolve their differences, and fulfill the president's two-state vision."

The Palestinians said earlier that Israel could not say it had accepted the Quartet statement without announcing a halt to Israeli settlement construction and a willingness to use the lines that existed before the 1967 Six Day War as a basis for negotiations on future borders.

BHGSG News: Shah Rukh Khan Rocks Li’l Champs Finale With Winner Azmat Hussain

BHGSG News: Shah Rukh Khan Rocks Li’l Champs Finale With Winner Azmat Hussain

BHGSG News - KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 2, 2011: Shah Rukh Khan made a grand appearance for the finale of Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs musical show. The decibel level in the auditorium, which was already high, skyrocketed when the actor made an entry. Swaying to his hit Chammak Challo, King Khan subsequently got all the three kid finalists to perform a song of his choice. Adnan Sami had the audience swinging with his tribute to Shammi Kapoor, even as wife Roya Faryabi and ZEEL MD and CEO Punit Goenka watched.

The highlights of the evening included winner Azmat Hussain’s terrific entry seated within a robot. Mentors Kailash Kher and Javed Ali looked on with pride as the kids competed in a climactic act for the grand trophy. Incidentally SRK found his match in funsters Manish Paul and Jay Soni as they shared a witty repartee. The superstar also played dandiya besides teaching everyone the dance steps to his latest chartbuster. (Photo -DNA)

On top of the world: Shah Rukh Khan hoists Azmat Hussain

*Presented & compiled By BHGSG News ~ Bollywood & Hollywood Gup Shup Gossip in association with DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

DTN News - INDIA NEWS: Mahatama Gandhi's 143rd Birth Anniversary At Rajgat New Delhi, Indian Politican Greets Each Other

DTN News - INDIA NEWS: Mahatama Gandhi's 143rd Birth Anniversary At Rajgat New Delhi, Indian Politican Greets Each Other

(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 2, 2011: Chairperson of India's Congress-led UPA government Sonia Gandhi (R) is greeted by Senior leader of India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lal Krishna Advani (L) after paying their respects at the memorial to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat in New Delhi on October 2, 2011, in honour of Gandhi's 143rd birth anniversary.

Gandhi, the 64-year-old widow of former premier Rajiv Gandhi, has made her first public appearance six weeks after undergoing surgery in the United States for an undisclosed condition. Indians all over the country are celebrating the founding father's birthday with prayers and social activities as a mark of respect to Gandhi, famed as the torchbearer of India's fight against British rule. (Photo - Getty)