Indian troops martyr five innocent Kashmiris

Srinagar, April 24 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops, in their fresh acts of state terrorism, martyred five more innocent Kashmiri youth at different places. The troops during siege and search operations killed two youth, Tanvir Ahmad and Zubair Ahmad at Gandoh in Doda. Two civilians identified as Gulla Gujar and Ahmed Lone were killed and three others injured in army firings at Keller in Shopian.

The locals told media men that the troopers during patrolling fired at two civilians who had ventured out of their homes, killing both of them on the spot. Hundreds of people raising anti-India slogans held protest demonstrations against the killings in the area.

Meanwhile, Indian army agents killed a proprietor of JK Cable, Ashiq Hussain Khan, 45, when he was coming out of the local mosque after offering Isha prayers at Batapora in Sopore.

Source: Kashmir Media Service.
Link: http://www.kmsnews.org/news/indian-troops-martyr-five-innocent-kashmiris.

Algerian-born pilot wins compensation battle over 2001 attacks

London (Earth Times) - An Algerian-born pilot who was wrongly accused of having links with terrorists behind the 2001 attacks in the US will receive compensation from the British government, the Justice Ministry said Friday.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw confirmed that Lotfi Raissi, a British resident, is eligible for a payout following a lengthy legal battle. The exact amount would be specified by an independent assessor.

Raissi, 36, was arrested at his home near London's Heathrow airport 10 days after the attacks on September 11, 2001, following an extradition request from the US which claimed that had attended flight training with one of the hijackers.

He spent five months in prison before being granted bail and was cleared in the spring of 2002 of any involvement in the plot.

Raissi started his compensation battle in 2004 and, in 2008, the Appeal Court ruled that he had been the "victim of a heightened emotional atmosphere" in 2001 and ordered compensation.

"It was hell for me and for the last nine years," Raissi told reporters after the announcement Friday. "My life was destroyed, my career was destroyed. I can't even find the words. I'm completely exonerated now by the Minister of Justice and I'm delighted."

He told the BBC that his battle to clear his name was "not a question about the compensation. I was fighting for justice and what I want at the end of it is an apology."

Iranian Foreign Minister to meet IAEA chief Sunday

Vienna - Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was set to meet International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Yukiya Amano over the weekend, the IAEA said Friday, amid Iran's efforts to lobby against new UN sanctions.

Austria is currently a member of the UN Security Council in New York, where new punitive measures are being discussed to pressure Iran into halting its controversial nuclear program.

Mottaki will meet Amano on Sunday, IAEA spokeswoman Gill Tudor confirmed.

Diplomats in Vienna said the Iranian minister secured the encounter with the nuclear agency chief on short notice, after having asked for a meeting with Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday was traveling to Uganda, another current Security Council member.

The United States and other Western countries on the council are pushing for additional sanctions, as Iran has not fully cooperated with the IAEA in recent months and has started to enrich uranium to higher levels than before.

The IAEA has been asking Iran for years to answer questions about possible nuclear weapons research, but Tehran's leaders have refused to do so and argue that the nuclear program is geared only towards energy and science.

Last autumn, the Vienna-based nuclear agency tried to broker a deal with Iran, the US, Russia and France to process Iran's enriched uranium into reactor fuel abroad, rather than in the country. So far, Tehran has not accepted the deal.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/320296,iranian-foreign-minister-to-meet-iaeachief-sunday.html.

Germany advises travelers to avoid Bangkok

Berlin- Germany on Friday advised travelers to avoid visits to the Thai capital, Bangkok, unless they were absolutely necessary.

The advisory on the Foreign Ministry website for travelers said further violence in the capital was possible, but added that the tourist areas of Phuket and the south of Thailand remained safe and that transit via Bangkok international airport posed no risks.

"Considering the continuing political protests and the resultant confused security situation, the advice at the moment is to not visit Bangkok unless it is absolutely necessary," the website said.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/320297,germany-advises-travellers-to-avoid-bangkok.html.

Yemen rebel group asks government to free 1,000 detained members

Sana'a, Yemen - A Shiite rebel group that fought the national army in northern Yemen for more than five years called upon the government Friday to free around 1,000 members of the group captured during the conflict that ended in February.

Yemen's government and the rebels, called Houthis after the family of their leaders, reached a peace agreement on February 11, ending fighting that has raged on and off since mid-2004.

"There are around 1,000 men still being detained by authorities," the rebel group's spokesman Muhammed Abdul-Salam said in a telephone interview.

"We urge the government to respect the ceasefire agreement and free all the detainees," Abdul-Salam said.

He said the group has released "all the military men" captured by its members during the last wave of fighting, which began last August in Saada province, along the border with Saudi Arabia.

On March 16, the group released 178 captured government soldiers.

Houthis claim discrimination by the majority Sunni population in Yemen, while Yemeni authorities accuse them of trying to reinstall Shiite religious rule, which was overthrown in 1962.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/320300,yemen-rebel-group-asks-government-to-free-1000-detained-members.html.

Kosovo cuts off Serbian mobile phone providers, Belgrade protests

Pristina, Kosovo/Belgrade - Kosovan authorities said Friday that they have shut down unlicensed Serbian mobile phone installations in their country.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said in a statement that it "has taken action preventing unauthorized illegal activity of non-licensed operators, who have extended their network within the territory of Kosovo."

Serbian mobile phone operators had continued extending their services in northern and central Kosovo via installations set up before the 1999 war, which ended with NATO ousting Serbian security forces from the country to stop ethnic bloodshed.

The mainly Albanian Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

The shutdown affected users of Serbian mobile providers in central Kosovo, Belgrade media reported.

The Serbian government condemned the measure as a "new attempt at isolating Serbs" who remain in Kosovo.

Though the United States and the majority of European Union nations recognize Kosovo, Belgrade continues refusing to even acknowledge it. Serbia insists that Kosovo is its territory and has made it a policy not to communicate with Pristina over any issue.

Serbia also encourages Serbs in their enclaves, especially in the northern part of Kosovo, to resist the central Pristina authorities.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/320303,kosovo-cuts-off-serbian-mobile-phone-providers-belgrade-protests.html.

Iran's president in Uganda to discuss oil, nuclear program

Kampala (Earth Times) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Uganda Friday night with plans to discuss his country's nuclear program with the Ugandan government.

Other talking points for the visit include energy development following recent discoveries of vast oil reserves in the East African country, officials told the German Press Agency dpa.

Ahmadinejad, who flew from Zimbabwe, where he held talks with President Robert Mugabe, is believed to be seeking support against UN sanctions for his country's nuclear program and an easing of international isolation.

Uganda, which holds a rotating seat on the UN Security Council, has not announced its stance on any possible additional sanctions, said James Mugume, the permanent secretary of the Ugandan Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni will host Ahmadinejad at a state banquet and hold bilateral talks with Ahmadinejad during the two-day visit. Trade and development talks focusing on agriculture, gas and the education sector will also be on the agenda, Mugume told dpa.

Uganda is short of energy supplies and Iran's involvement in that area is crucial, he said.

Vast oil reserves have been discovered in recent years in the western and north-western regions of Uganda. Viable wells so far discovered are believed to hold about 2 billion barrels. Iran has already discussed plans with Kampala to build a large oil refinery in the country.