Topic wise data from JWT, December to September

[azmatullah]

Afghanistan
22-12-2011/Dawn
10,000 US troops pulled out of Afghanistan: US military officials say that President Barack Obama's order to withdraw 10,000 American troops from Afghanistan this year has been accomplished, a little more than a week before the year-end deadline.
28-12-2011/Daily Times
Afghanistan signs first major oil deal with China: Afghanistan signed an oil deal with China which could earn the war-torn country $7 billion over 25 years.
Afghanistan's first major oil exploration contract will see state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation develop three oil fields in the relatively peaceful north of the country along the Amu Darya river.
20-01-2012/Daily Times
France threatens to pull out of Afghanistan after troops' death: France is suspending military operations in Afghanistan and may accelerate its planned troops withdrawal if the security situation does not improve, President Nicolas Sarkozy said after the killing of four more French soldiers.
25-01-2012/The News
New UN envoy wants Afghan-led peace talks: Talks to end Afghanistan's 10-year war must be Afghan-led to have any chance of success, the new head of the UN mission in Afghanistan said. Jan Kubis, who took over the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) from Swedish diplomat Staffan de Mistura earlier this month, said only an Afghan-owned negotiating process could eventually bring peace.
15-02-2012 Dawn
Afghan TV presenters told ‘more veil, less make-up’: Afghanistan has instructed female TV presenters to stop appearing on screen without a headscarf and to wear less make-up, officials said, raising fears about creeping restrictions on the media.

05-03-2012 Dawn
Afghan child hunger among worst in world: Children in Afghanistan suffer one of the highest levels of chronic malnutrition in the world, a report said, despite billions of dollars in aid that have poured into the war-torn country.

More than half of Afghan children under the age of five are chronically malnourished, according to the joint report by the World Bank and the government.
08-03-2012 The News
First women-only internet café in Kabul: Afghanistan opened its first female-only internet cafe, hoping to give women a chance to connect to the world without verbal and sexual harassment and free from the unwanted gazes of their countrymen. Swarms of hijab-wearing young visitors poured into the small café on a quiet street in central Kabul on International Women’s Day in a country where women still face enormous struggles even though the Taliban were toppled more than a decade ago.
14-04-2012 Dawn
Rabbani’s son to head Afghan peace council: Afghanistan’s government appointed Salahuddin Rabbani, the son of slain statesman Burhanuddin Rabbani, to replace his father and lead the country’s High Peace Council charged with reaching out to the Taliban.

Salahuddin Rabbani is currently Afghanistan’s ambassador to Turkey, and his appointment as Kabul’s chief peace negotiator with the Taliban ends a seven-month gap at the top of the 70-member council.
01-05-2012 Dawn
Obama signs strategic pact with Karzai in Kabul: US President Barack Obama arrived in Afghanistan to conclude an agreement charting future relations with the country, making the unannounced trip in darkness on the first anniversary of the killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Shortly after he arrived, Mr Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed the strategic partnership pact, which sets out a future US role in Afghanistan, including aid and advisers, while trying to reassure Afghans that they will not be abandoned when most Nato combat troops leave in 2014.
26-05-2012 Deccan Chronicle
Afghanistan’s parliament approves US strategic pact: Afghanistan’s parliament voted by an overwhelming majority to ratify a strategic partnership agreement with the United States signed in May. “We voted with a majority in favour of the strategic pact,” MP Shukria Essakhil said. “Only five MPs voted against it,” she said, adding that around 190 lawmakers out of 249 were present for the open vote.
11-06-2012 The New York Times
Strike on Taliban in homes restricted: The senior allied commander in Afghanistan has ordered new restrictions on airstrikes against Taliban fighters who hide in residential homes, according to coalition officials, a move in response to a NATO attack in the eastern part of the country last week that Afghan officials say killed 18 civilians.

After a meeting involving Mr. Karzai, General Allen and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker of the United States to discuss the issue, aides to Mr. Karzai released a statement saying that General Allen had pledged to halt attacks altogether on residential areas and homes.
14-06-2012 The Gulf Today
'Heart of Asia' states meet on Afghan issue: Afghanistan's neighbours and regional heavyweights met in Kabul to do something they rarely do — try to tackle common threats and problems together.

With Nato's combat mission ending in 2014, the region's countries are being called on to help stabilise Afghanistan by joining forces to resolve regional problems such as extremism, drug-trafficking, poor coordination on economic issues and, most importantly, terrorism.
18-06-2012 Dawn
US, Russia join hands on Pakistan, Afghanistan: In their first meeting since Vladimir Putin returned to the presidency, US President Barack Obama and the Russian leader identified Pakistan and Afghanistan as one of the issues on which they needed to work together.

The two leaders also noted that “both our nations face persistent and evolving domestic and transnational terrorist threats, including from terrorists based in ... Afghanistan, and Pakistan.”
U.S. Military Death Toll Reaches Two Thousand in Afghanistan (Aug. 21): The United States military reaches 2,000 deaths in Afghanistan, based on The New York Times of Department of Defense records. It is an unfortunate milestone in the nearly 11-year-old war.
21-07-2012 The News
Pak-Afghan trade transit deal extended to Tajikistan: In a landmark development, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to extend the Afghanistan-Pakistan Trade Transit Agreement (APTTA) to Tajikistan in what will be the first step for the establishment of a North-South trade corridor. This move would subsequently be extended to other neighbouring Central Asian states including Uzbekistan, Kirghizstan and Turkmenistan after the initiation of the first link.

[azmatullah]

Arab Spring
13-12-2011/The News
Tunisia opposition veteran Marzouki sworn-in as president: Tunisia's opposition veteran Moncef Marzouki was sworn-in as the country's first elected president since the North African nation's revolution sparked the Arab Spring.
24-12-2011/Dawn
Islamist sweep second round of Egypt poll: Egypt's main Islamist parties won 65 per cent of votes for party lists in the second round of a historic election for a new parliament after Hosni Mubarak's ouster. The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) won 36.5 percent of the vote for party lists, with 4.058 million out of 11.173 votes, according to figures provided by the electoral committee for the second round which was held on December 14. The Al Nur Party won 28.78 per cent, with 3.216 million votes.
28-12-2011/Dawn
The Times names Tunisian fruit-seller 'person of 2011': The Times newspaper in London named Mohamed Bouazizi, the Tunisian fruit-seller who unwittingly started a wave of protests known as the Arab Spring, as its person of 2011. The 26-year-old from a poor family set himself alight in the town of Sidi Bouzid on Dec 17 last year in protest against harassment by officials, and died from his burns in early January.
02-01-2012/Dawn
10pc of Libyan assembly seats for women: Ten per cent of the seats of the proposed Libyan Constituent Assembly will be reserved for women, a draft election law published said. “The General National Congress (constituent assembly) is to be composed of 200 members elected freely and directly. 10 per cent of the seats will be reserved for women,” said the draft released on the website of the election preparatory committee. The constituent assembly election is scheduled to be held in June.
08-01-2012/Dawn
Arabs give Syria mission green light to continue: Arab ministers meeting in Cairo gave a widely criticised observer mission to Syria the green light to continue and called for an immediate end to the violence there. The Arab ministerial committee on Syria “has decided to give Arab League observers the necessary time to continue their mission according to the protocol,” which states that the mission is for the duration of one month.
15-01-2012/Dawn
Bahraini king vows to widen powers of parliament: Bahrain's king promised that the strife-wracked Gulf nation would move ahead with political reforms that widen the powers of the elected parliament to oversee governments selected by the ruling monarchy.

The reforms are part of recommendations that emerged last year from talks between various political and civil groups on easing tensions in the kingdom, which has faced more than 11 months of protests.
17-01-2012/Dawn
Syria rejects Arab troops; UN urged to step in: Syria ruled out any deployment of Arab troops as proposed by Qatar to halt 10 months of deadly unrest, as army defectors appealed to the UN Security Council to intervene in the crisis.
22-01-2012/Dawn
Embattled Yemen president calls it a day: Outgoing president Ali Abdullah Saleh apologised for “any shortcoming” in his 33-year rule before leaving Yemen for the United States, paving the way for a transfer of power after a year of unrest.
23-01-2012/Dawn
Egypt's new parliament elects Islamist as speaker: Deputies in Egypt's first post-revolution parliament elected Saad al-Katatni, a leading member of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, as speaker. Katatni won 399 votes out of 496 in the first session of the lower assembly.
28-01-2012/Dawn
AL halts observer mission in Syria: The Arab League halted its observer mission to Syria, sharply criticising the regime of President Bashar al-Assad for escalating violence across the country.
03-02-2012/The News
Islamists sweep Kuwait polls as women lose out: Kuwait's Islamist-led opposition has won a landslide majority in Kuwait's snap polls by securing 34 seats in the 50-member parliament, with women and liberals the big losers, results showed.

04-02-2012/Dawn
Russia, China veto West-backed UN resolution on Syria: Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council resolution which backed an Arab League plan for a political transition in Syria as the violence continued unabated in the country. The other 13 members of the council, including Pakistan and India, voted in favour of the resolution sponsored by Arab and Western nations and aimed at ending the ongoing violence in Syria. The vote was 13 in favour and two against (veto).
07-02-2012/The News
Gaddafi opponent named new spy chief: Libya's ruling National Transitional Council appointed Salem al-Hassi, an opponent of slain dictator Moammar Gaddafi, as the country's new intelligence chief. Hassi was also involved in a bid to assassinate Gaddafi in 1984.
12-02-2012 The News
Arabs end Syria mission: Arab League foreign ministers announced end of a controversial observer mission to Syria, in a statement issued after meetings in Cairo, more than a month after its monitors withdrew.
21-02-2012 Dawn
Poll ensures Saleh’s exist from power after 33 years: Yemen pushed Ali Abdullah Saleh from power after 33 years, voting to install his deputy as president with a mission to rescue the nation from poverty, chaos and the brink of civil war.

Vice President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, the sole, consensus candidate, billed the election as a way to move on after months of mass protests against Saleh’s rule.
24-02-2012 Dawn
Italy ‘violated rights’ by returning migrants to Libya: Italy violated international human rights laws when it intercepted migrants adrift in the Mediterranean in 2009 and returned them to Libya, the European court of human rights has ruled.

24-02-2012 Dawn
Annan named special envoy of UN Arab League for Syria: The United Nations and Arab League have announced the appointment of former UN chief Kofi Annan as their Joint Special Envoy to deal with the crisis in Syria.

Mr Annan would serve as their high-level representative on the crisis, and will be supported by a deputy from the Arab world to be chosen later.

24-02-2012 Dawn
Assad to bear ‘heavy cost’ for ignoring global will: Syria’s rulers have squandered every chance for peace and, if they do not let aid reach civilians, will have even more blood on their hands, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned. Clinton told a conference on Syria that President Bashar al-Assad would bear “a heavy cost” for ignoring the international will with his crackdown on the opposition.
27-02-2012 The News
89.4pc ‘yes’ for new constitution: Almost 90 per cent of votes approved Syria’s new constitution brought in after 11 months of anti-regime protests, the interior minister announced. Mohammed al-Shaar also told a press conference that turnout reached 57.4 per cent of eligible voters, with 89.4 per cent of the 8.376 million who cast their ballots in referendum saying “yes” to the new constitution.
28-02-2012 The News
Egypt upper house picks Islamist as speaker: Egypt’s Islamist-led upper house of parliament picked a Muslim Brotherhood deputy as its speaker, cementing the group’s dominance in the legislature after elections handed it a majority of seats.

Ahmed Fahmy, a little-known FJP figure, became upper house speaker.

FJP Secretary General Saad el-Katatni was already picked as the lower house speaker.
06-03-2012 Dawn
Obama rejects unilateral military action against Syria: US President Barack Obama rejected calls for unilateral military action against Syria although he said he too believed that President Bashar al-Assad would have to step down.
10-03-2012 Dawn
Assad rebuffs Annan call for political solution: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan that no political solution was possible in Syria while “terrorist” groups were destabilising the country.
“Syria is ready to make a success of any honest effort to find a solution for the events it is witnessing,” state news agency SANA quoted Assad as telling his guest.
12-03-2012 Daily Times
North African countries adopt plan to secure borders: Nine northern African countries including Libya, Algeria and Egypt agreed to work together to secure their borders in a move to clamp down on militia clashes and weapons smuggling in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings.
Under the Tripoli Plan, countries will adopt stronger measures including sharing intelligence and pouring more money into border towns.
13-03-2012 Dawn
Assad calls elections on May 7: Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad — whose armed forces are in the midst of a bloody crackdown on opponents of his rule — has called parliamentary elections for May.

The elections — set to take place on May 7 — were called under a new constitution passed last month. However Assad’s opponents say the constitution is illegitimate while he still clings to power.
26-03-2012 Dawn
Islam won’t be basis of new Tunisian constitution: Islamic law will not be enshrined in Tunisia’s new constitution, preserving the secular basis of the North African nation, Tunisia’s ruling Islamist Ennahda Party said.
27-03-2012 Dawn
Syria accepts Annan’s peace plan: Syria has accepted a proposal crafted by Kofi Annan that aims to end the bloodshed roiling the country, the envoy’s spokesman said, in a move cautiously welcomed by Western states.
29-03-2012 Dawn
Al Azhar withdraws from Egypt’s constitution panel: Al-Azhar, highest religious authority in Egypt, said it was withdrawing from a disputed panel dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood to draft a new constitution, following the example of liberals.
31-03-2012 The News
Syria declares it has defeated revolt: Syria’s regime declared it has defeated those seeking to bring it down while reiterating support for a UN-Arab peace plan, as its troops reportedly shelled rebels in the city of Homs.
10-04-2012 Dawn
Egypt court suspends constitutional panel: An Egyptian court suspended a 100-member panel selected by lawmakers from the Islamist-dominated parliament and tasked with drafting the country’s new constitution.
14-04-2012 Dawn
UN approves observer force for Syria: The UN Security Council unanimously decided to send an advance team of up to 30 unarmed military observers to Syria to monitor a ceasefire between the government forces and armed opposition rebels.
25-04-2012 Dawn
Religious parties banned in Libya: Libya, preparing for elections in June, has banned parties based on religion, tribe or ethnicity, the government said, and a new Islamist party viewed as a leading contender signalled it would challenge the decision.

Libya’s NTC has already indicated that the country will be run in accordance with sharia, though the exact place of Islamic law in the legal system will be settled only once a new constitution is written after elections.

26-04-2012 The News
Jordan PM resigns in surprise move: Jordan’s Prime Minister Awn Khasawneh resigned, barely six months after forming a reform-mandated government to bring in political and economic change in the country.
03-05-2012 Dawn
Bahrain’s constitution amended; opposition unimpressed: King Hamad ratified amendments to Bahrain’s constitution aimed at defusing unrest in the strategic Gulf state, but the opposition dismissed the extra powers given to parliament as not enough.
“The process of reform that marked the beginning of my tenure in power will not stop,” said the Sunni monarch who succeeded to the throne in 1999.
03-05-2012 Dawn
Libya grants immunity to revolutionaries: Libyan authorities granted immunity to former rebels who fought to oust Muammar Qaddafi’s regime and has criminalised any glorification of the former leader, in laws passed.
“There is no punishment for acts made necessary by the February 17 revolution,” read the law published on the National Transitional Council’s website.
24-05-2012 The China Post
UN ignores Syria’s complaint, extends Pillay’s term: The UN General Assembly unanimously gave UN human rights chief Navi Pillay a new two-year term over Syria’s complaints about her “hostile” attitude.

The 193-nation assembly gave the new term by acclamation without a vote, 10 days after UN leader Ban Ki-moon said he wanted to keep Pillay in her high-profile post.
02-06-2012 Dawn
Mubarak, security chief get life terms: Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak and his security chief were given life in prison over the deaths of protesters in 2011. Judge Ahmed Refaat sentenced the 84-year-old former leader and his interior minister Habib al-Adly to life for their role in the deaths of protesters during the revolt that ousted them, but acquitted the six security commanders on the same charges.

05-06-2012 The New York Times
Syria declares western diplomats personae non gratae: Syria declared diplomats of several major western states and Turkey as personae non gratae as Russia and China, which have stalled western-led UN moves against Damascus, began talks focused on the crisis.

The foreign ministry said it made the move against the ambassadors of the United States, Britain, France and Turkey, among others, in response to the expulsion of its own diplomats, in the aftermath of last month’s Houla massacre.
06-06-2012 The Gulf Today
Assad appoints new PM as clashes rock Damascus: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appointed a new prime minister in the wake of a boycotted parliamentary election, as rebels went on the offensive in Damascus. The appointment of agriculture minister Riad Hijab as premier comes less than a week after a defiant Assad dismissed allegations that his government had a hand in last month’s Houla massacre.

Unrest Continues in Syria as Soldiers Defect (July 2): In one of the largest military defections since the uprising in Syria began, eighty-five Syrian soldiers flee to southern Turkey. The defecting soldiers include one general and over a dozen lower-ranking officers. (July 3): Syrian President Bashar al-Assad tries to diffuse tension with Turkey by expressing regret over the Turkish warplane that his forces shot down last month. The Cumhuiyet, a Turkish newspaper, reports that Assad said his men believed it was an Israeli jet and that he won't allow tensions between Syria and Turkey to deteriorate into an "armed conflict."

(July 11): Syrian ambassador to Iraq, Nawaf Fares, defects from Baghdad. In doing so, Fares becomes the first prominent figure to publicly denounce the Syrian government.

(July 12): According to opposition activists, more than 200 people are killed by Syrian government forces in Tremseh, a Sunni village near Hama.

(July 18): In Damascus, a suicide bomber attacks a meeting of senior ministers and security officials. Syrian's defense minister and President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law are killed in the attack.

(July 19): Fighting becomes more violent in Damascus between the Army and opposition forces. Residents begin to flee the capital.
Libya Holds First National Election Since Qaddafi (July 7): For the first time since Col. Muammar Qaddafi was ousted, Libyans vote in a national election. At least two people are killed due to armed assaults on voting centers. In the city of Kufur, some voting centers close due to an ongoing battle between tribes. Despite these obstacles, turnout is over 60 percent.

(July 8): Early election results show a coalition led by Mahmoud Jibril is ahead of Islamist parties in votes. Jibril is a Western-educated political scientist. His coalition's lead is a sign that Libya, unlike Egypt and Tunisia, is not trending toward Islamist rule.
Russia and China Veto U. N. Sanctions on Syria (July 19): Russia and China veto a United Nations Security Council resolution to impose sanctions on the Syrian government. The proposed U.N. sanctions are intended to push Syria into putting a peace plan into action and ending its 17-month-old conflict. The resolution is proposed by Britain and backed by ten other council members, including France and the United States. Russian ambassador Vitaly I. Churkin explains the Russian veto to the council, "We simply cannot accept a document which would open the path for pressure of sanctions and further to external military involvement in Syrian domestic affairs."
(August 6): Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab and at least two other ministers defect to Jordan and announce that they would support the opposition. They are the highest-level defections to date and are clear signs that Assad's hold on power is dwindling.

(Aug. 15): The crisis in Syria spills into Lebanon when more than 20 Syrians are kidnapped in Lebanese territory.

(Aug. 16): The United Nations Security Council terminates its observer mission in Syria due to the increasing violence.

(Aug. 20): President Obama vows military action against the Syrian government if biological or chemical weapons in Syria are moved. It is the biggest threat of U.S. intervention so far.

(Aug. 23): More than 200,000 refugees have traveled from Syria to Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. The United Nations estimates there will be 185,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year.

(Aug. 26): In Daraya, a suburb of Damascus, mass burials are discovered. The Local Coordination Committees reports that at least 630 residents of Daraya have been killed in the last week. Residents say that the Syrian army closed off the city before pounding it with gunfire and pulling residents from their houses.


Egypt Launches Airstrike in Sinai Peninsula (Aug. 8): Egypt launches its first airstrike in years in the Sinai Peninsula. Attack helicopters strike at gunmen in retaliation after 16 soldiers were shot and killed on August 5 at an Egyptian Army checkpoint. The attack on the Egyptian soldiers is President Mohammed Morsi's first crisis. Morsi orders an airstrike on the Sinai, which kills about 20 militants.

(Aug. 12): Morsi reassigns several senior generals and the heads of each service branch of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), an influential force in Egypt that has effectively been in control since the fall of Hosni Mubarak and recently has been in a power struggle with the new civilian government. Defense minister Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, a power broker in Egypt, is among the leaders Morsi stripped of his position. Morsi also voids a constitutional declaration imposed by the military that limited the role of the president, and implements a new order that vastly expands his power and that of the legislature. The bold move sends a clear message that the civilian government has taken back control of the country.
Violence Continues in Syria (September 1): Opposition fighters seize an air base in Deir el-Zour. Along with the base, they capture 16 Syrian soldiers, weapons, and ammunition.

(Sept. 4): The United Nations reports that more than 100,000 people fled Syria in August. The surge accounts for 40 percent of the 234,000 people who have registered with the United Nations for assistance since the fighting in Syria began. The surge of refugees coincides with President Bashar al-Assad's government increase in attacks on areas in Syria where the opposition is strong.

(Sept. 5): Iran resumes sending military equipment to Syria to aid the government in its fight against the opposition. Iran is using Iraq's airspace to send the supplies. Iraq's role in the operation shows what little influence the United States has over them. The Obama administration has pressed Iraq to shut down the air corridor that Iran uses to ship the supplies to Syria.

Gunmen Storm U.S. Embassy in Libya (September 11): Armed gunmen storm the American consulate in Benghazi and shoot and kill U.S. ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other embassy officials. Stevens, a widely praised diplomat who was an advocate for the opposition in Libya, is the first U.S. ambassador to be killed in the line of duty since 1979. The attack coincides with violent protests at the U.S. embassy in Cairo over the release of a YouTube film, Innocence of Muslims, produced in the U.S., that insulted the Prophet Muhammad and criticized Islam. U.S. officials say they believe that given the weapons used-antiaircraft weapons and rocket-propelled grenades-the attack had been orchestrated in advance. In response to the assault, the U.S. sends 50 marines to protect the embassy in Tripoli.

(Sept. 14): Libyan authorities arrest four people who are suspects in the U.S. embassy attack in Benghazi. U.S. officials believe the attack may have been planned in advance. President Obama vows to bring those responsible for the attack to justice.
U.S. Begins Retaliatory Action against Embassy Attack in Libya (Oct. 2): The U.S. Special Operations Command prepares data to use in the capture of the militants suspected in the attack on its embassy last month in Libya. The suspects include members of Ansar al-Shariah, an Islamist militia group, and other militants with ties to Al-Qaeda. The suspects are wanted for the September 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, which resulted in the deaths of American ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other embassy officials.

(Oct. 15): During an interview with CNN, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton takes responsibility for the security situation in the Libyan embassy attack last month. Clinton points out that she makes the final call on diplomatic security overseas, not President Obama or Vice President Biden. Clinton's interview comes one day before Obama's second debate with Mitt Romney. Clinton vows to improve security for diplomats, but also says, "We can't not engage."

Turkey Retaliates Against Syria (Oct. 3): Turkey hits four targets within Syria in retaliation over the mortar attack in Akcakale, Turkey, which killed five civilians, including three children.

(Oct. 4): The Turkish Parliament authorizes further military action against Syria. Turkey continues to fire artillery into Syria.

(Oct. 9): The U.S. military sends a task force to Jordan to assist armed forces with Syrian refugees and to be on hand in case the Syrian conflict continues to expand.

(Oct. 10): Turkish warplanes force a Syrian passenger jet to land under suspicion that it is carrying military cargo. En route from Moscow to Damascus, the jet is forced down in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. Turkish television reports that inspectors find parts of a missile on board, but authorities in Turkey decline to comment on exactly what is found. Turkish civilian airplanes begin avoiding Syrian airspace. Both countries continue to fire artillery across the border.

(Oct. 13): Syria bans Turkish flights from its airspace. Russia denies that any weapons were onboard the intercepted Syrian passenger jet. Meanwhile, the fighting in Syria continues. Human rights activists report that Syrian rebels are making progress in the Idlib district.

(Oct. 14): Officials from the U.S. and the Middle East report that most of the arms shipped from Saudi Arabia and Qatar to Syrian rebels are falling into the hands of Islamic jihadists.
Lebanon Is Dragged into War in Syria (Oct. 19): A bomb explodes in Beirut's Christian section. Eight people are killed and at least 80 are wounded. The explosion kills intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Wissam al-Hassan, a top security official and an ally of the slain Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Hassan, a foe of Syria, had been a driving force behind the arrest of Michel Samaha, Lebanon's former information minister who had close ties to Syria, on charges of orchestrating attacks and assassinations of Sunnis in Lebanon.
• New Proposal Presented to End Conflict in Syria (Nov. 1): China, one of the Syrian government's main allies, presents a new proposal to end the conflict in Syria. The plan calls on stronger international support for refugees and a truce brought about in phases. The proposal does not call for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
• (Nov. 11): Syria's opposition groups agree to form a new governing body that will unify the many rebel groups under one umbrella. The 50-person body, the Syrian National Initiative, will replace the Syrian National Council, which has come under fire for being largely ineffective and having few leaders living in Syria. The new organization will include younger leaders and will have strong representation inside the country. It will also oversee the opposition's military and will manage the distribution of weapons and funds. The group's leader, Sheikh Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib, says he hopes the new body will be viewed with legitimacy and receive financial assistance and weapons from the international community.
• (Nov. 12): Tanks from Israel fire on Syrian artillery units in response to mortar fire near an army post in the Israeli-held Golan Heights.
• (Nov. 13): France becomes the first Western country to officially recognize the new Syrian rebel coalition.
• (Nov. 14): The government in Syria calls France's recognition of the Syrian rebel coalition an "immoral" act. Meanwhile, for the third day in a row, Syrian authorities order airstrikes on the area near their border with Turkey.
• (Nov. 26): The Syrian rebels seize a key military base and airport near Damascus. They also take control of a hydroelectric dam on the Euphrates River.
• (Nov. 29): Commercial air traffic is stopped and internet access is unavailable throughout Syria. U.S. government officials say that the Obama administration is getting closer to recognizing the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces as well as considering more intervention to remove al-Assad from power.
• Morsi Declares Authority over Courts (Nov. 22): Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi announces a brazen power grab when he declares authority over the courts, thereby removing any check on his actions by the courts. He says the move is necessary because the judiciary, made up of Hosni Mubarak appointees, is threatening to suspend the constitutional assembly before it completes the task of drafting a new constitution. Progress on writing a new constitution has been stalled by members of the opposition on the committee. Morsi also says the edict would bring "political, social and economic stability" and remove barriers to a smooth transition of power. The decree is met with large protests in Tahrir Square, the scene of the uprising against Mubarak, and international condemnation. It also fuels accusations that one autocrat has succeeded another.
• (Nov. 26): Morsi seems to be backtracking in response to the outpouring of rage, saying only "acts of sovereignty" will be exempt from judicial oversight. The clarification does little to placate his opponents.
• (Nov. 29): Under threat of being suspended by the courts, the constitutional assembly hastily approves a draft document, which is widely criticized for its ambiguity and lack of depth and originality. The draft constitution passes because Morsi's opponents on the committee from secular groups and Coptic Christians boycott the vote. Morsi says he will hold a referendum on the constitution as soon as possible.

24-07-2012 The Muscat Daily
Morsi names his PM: Egypt’s Islamist President Mohamed Morsi named outgoing irrigation minister Hisham Qandil, a reputed independent, as prime minister to form a new government, state television announced.
26-07-2012 Khaleej Times
Egypt all-veiled TV aims to cover women’s needs: A satellite channel Maria TV in Cairo was launched on the first day of Ramadan. This channel is being run and hosted by fully-veiled presenters. The channel aims to break down the barriers for women in niqab who until the revolution that brought Islamists to power were shunned by Egypt’s lucrative television industry.
29-07-2012 The Globe and Mail
Assad forces pound Aleppo, declare Damascus victory: The government of Bashar Al Assad declared victory in a hard-fought battle for Syria’s capital Damascus, and pounded rebels who control parts of its largest city Aleppo.
01-08-2012 Herald Sun
Egypt’s PM selects new cabinet: Egypt’s Prime Minister Hisham Qandil has selected a new government in which the current finance and foreign ministers will retain their posts.

Meanwhile, a military official said that army commander Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who served as Hosni Mubarak’s defence minister and then ruled the country after the dictator’s overthrow, will be defence minister.

02-08-2012 Herald Sun
New Egypt cabinet sworn-in, faces heavy task: Egypt’s new prime minister and his cabinet were sworn-in, the first government since the election of a Muslim Brotherhood leader as the country’s first freely elected president.
06-08-2012 Arab Times
Syrian PM defects, slips into Jordan: Syria’s Prime Minister Riad Hijab joined the anti-regime revolt and fled abroad, in what Washington and the opposition hailed as a major blow to President Bashar al-Assad.
09-08-2012 Khaleej Times
Assad names new premier: President Bashar al-Assad has appointed Wael al-Halqi as Syria’s new premier, state television reported.
Health Minister Halqi was appointed to replace Riad Hijab, whose defection to the opposition was announced
09-08-2012 The Guardian
Libya’s council hands power to new assembly: Libya’s National Transitional Council handed power to a new assembly, in a symbolic move marking a peaceful transition following the overthrow of Moamer Qadhafi’s 40-year rule.

10-08-2012 The Guardian
Pro-Islamist elected Libya assembly chief: Mohamed al-Megaryef, a staunch opponent of Moamer Gaddafi’s overthrown regime who is seen as being pro-Islamist, was elected president of Libya’s new national assembly.
Megaryef, won with 113 votes in the General National Congress (GNC) against liberal independent Ali Zidane, who got 85.

[azmatullah]

Climate Change
01-01-2012/Dawn
Pakistan to challenge UN decision in world court: Pakistan has decided to challenge in the International Court of Arbitration a decision of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to grant carbon credits to India on a controversial hydropower project without mandatory clearance of its trans-boundary environmental impact assessment.
11-12-2011/Dawn
Climate conference reaches landmark agreement: A UN climate conference reached a hard-fought agreement on a far-reaching programme meant to set a new course for the global fight against climate change. The 194-nation conference agreed to start negotiations on a new accord that would ensure that countries will be legally bound to carry out any pledges they make. It would take effect by 2020 at the latest. Currently, only industrial countries have legally binding emissions targets under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
13-12-2011/Dawn
Canada becomes first nation to pull out of Kyoto Protocol: Canada became the first country to announce it would withdraw from the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, dealing a symbolic blow to the already troubled global treaty.

Environment Minister Peter Kent broke the news on his return from talks in Durban, where countries agreed to extend Kyoto for five years and hammer out a new deal forcing all big polluters for the first time to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
30-03-2012 Daily Times
Govt., WWF sign MoU to curb environmental pollution: A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Punjab government and the World Wide Fund (WWF) for cooperation in overcoming environmental pollution.
13-03-2012 The News
Asia climate disasters displace 42m: ADB: Climate-related disasters have displaced more than 42 million people in Asia over the past two years, the Asian Development Bank said in a report calling for swift action to avert future crises.
26-03-2012 The News
Global warming close to becoming irreversible: The world is close to reaching tipping points that will make it irreversibly hotter, making this decade critical in efforts to contain global warming, scientists warned.
Scientific estimates differ but the world’s temperature looks set to rise by six degrees Celsius by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions are allowed to rise uncontrollably.
28-03-2012 The News
Climate change to drive weather disasters: Climate change is amplifying risks from drought, floods, storms and rising seas, threatening all countries but small island states, poor nations and arid regions in particular, UN experts warned.
In its first-ever report on the question, the Nobel-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said man-made global-warming gases are already affecting some types of extreme weather.
29-03-2012 The News
Scientists pin down historic sea level rise: The collapse of an ice sheet in Antarctica up to 14,650 years ago might have caused sea levels to rise between 14 and 18 meters (46-60 feet), a study showed, data which could help make more accurate climate change predictions.
16-04-2012 The News
Half of England in drought: Half of England was officially in drought after the Environment Agency declared another 17 counties short of water, and warned the situation may continue until the end of the year. Two dry winters have left rivers and ground waters depleted, prompting the government agency to urge businesses, water companies and consumers to be more careful in their use of water.
07-05-2012 The News
Norway boasts world’s largest carbon dioxide capture lab: Norway inaugurated what it called the world’s largest laboratory for capturing carbon dioxide, a leading strategy for fighting global warming. Located at an oil refinery on Norway’s west coast, the Technology Centre Mongstad aims to test French and Norwegian methods of capturing carbon dioxide emissions and burying them underground to prevent them from escaping into the atmosphere.
12-05-2012 Dawn
Green benches constituted all over the country: All the high courts of the country as well as the Supreme Court of AJK have constituted ‘green benches’ to hear cases, pertaining to environmental issues.

The decision to dedicate green benches have been taken as a follow up to the recommendations taken at the ‘Bhurban Declaration 2012 — A Common Vision on Environment for the South Asian Judiciaries’ during South Asian Conference on Environmental Justice held from March 24 to 25 under the aegis of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
13-06-2012 Tribune
WHO declaration links diesel fumes to lung cancer: Diesel fumes cause lung cancer, the World Health Organisation declared, and experts say they are more carcinogenic than second-hand cigarette smoke.

The WHO decision, the first to elevate diesel to the “known carcinogen” level, is particularly relevant to poor countries, where trucks, generators, and farm and factory machinery routinely belch clouds of sooty smoke and fill the air with sulphurous particulates.
23-07-2012 Dawn
South Asia faces threat of either drought or flood: The sudden propping up of the so-called El Niño effects in South Asia has delayed the monsoon rains in Pakistan and India, which can cause a drought-like situation in the entire region, and also worried experts who fear another round of floods if the phenomenon takes an obverse turn.
16-07-2012 The Washington Post
US drought now covers widest area since 1956: A new report says the drought gripping the United States is the widest since 1956, and the effect on the nation’s corn and soybean crops is alarming.

Fifty-five per cent of the continental US faces a moderate to extreme drought, according to the monthly State of the Climate drought report released by the National Climactic Data Centre.
25-07-2012 The New York Times
Unusual burst of melting hits Greenland’s ice sheet: In a scant four days this month, the surface of Greenland’s ice sheet melted to an extent not witnessed in 30 years of satellite observations, NASA has reported.

On average, about half of the surface of the ice sheet melts during the summer. But from July 8 to July 12, the ice melt expanded from 40 per cent of the ice sheet to 97 per cent, according to scientists who analyzed the data from satellites deployed by NASA and India’s space research institute.
29-07-2012 The Herald Sun
Scientists find CO2-sucking funnels in Southern Ocean: Scientists said they had unravelled the mechanism by which Earth-warming carbon is sucked deep into the Southern Ocean to be safely locked away — a process that may itself be threatened by climate change. Wind, eddies and currents work together to create carbon-sucking funnels, said the research team from Britain and Australia in a discovery that adds to the toolkit of scientists attempting climate warming predictions.

About a quarter of the carbon dioxide on Earth is stored away in its oceans — some 40 per cent of that in the Southern Ocean encircling Antarctica. At a depth of about 1,000 metres (3,200 feet), carbon can be locked away for hundreds to thousands of years, yet scientists had never been sure exactly how it gets there after dissolving into surface waters.
09-08-2012 New York Times
July in US was hottest ever in history books: US scientists say July was the hottest month ever recorded in the Lower 48 states, breaking a record set during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
The average temperature last month was 77.6 degrees (25 Celsius). That breaks the old record from July 1936 by 0.2 degree, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

[azmatullah]

Energy Crisis
28-12-2011/Dawn
Biogas plant set up by UN: A plant set up in Sanghar, Sindh, by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is generating 50 cubic metres of biogas sufficient to energise 20 households in addition to producing 200kg of liquefied and 150kg of solid fertilizer a day by using 400kg of agricultural waste.
23-01-2012/The News
First-ever on-grid solar system installed: On-grid solar power generation systems of 178 kilowatts (KW) each have been installed at Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) and at Planning Commission, under the Grant-Aid project from the Government of Japan.
30-01-2012/The News
Kuwait extends $40m for Neelum-Jhelum power project: Kuwait has extended $40 million to Pakistan for the construction of the de-sander–a vital part of the strategic $333.3 billion Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project.
06-02-2012/The News
Pakistan to import 500mcf LNG per day from Qatar: In a landmark economic accord, Pakistan and Qatar inked agreements to collaborate in multiple areas, mainly on the import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from the Gulf state and cooperation between the two governments on security. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said Pakistan was interested in importing 500 million cubic feet LNG per day from Qatar, which produces 77 million tonnes of LNG per annum.
27-02-2012 The News
Qatar agrees to supply 3.5m tones LNG to Pakistan: In a welcoming development, the Qatar government has agreed to export 3.5 million tones LNG to Pakistan to cater to the country’s energy requirements.
30-03-2012 Dawn
SC scraps deals on rental power plants: The Supreme Court dealt a severe blow to the policies of the previous as well as present governments on rental power projects when in an overarching verdict it held the RPP contracts non-transparent and ordered that these to be rescinded.

The court also ordered National Accountability Bureau chairman Admiral (retd) Fasih Bokhari to proceed with corruption references against those who were at the helm of affairs when the contracts were signed between 2006 and 2008 to overcome the energy shortfall through RPPs as a stopgap arrangement.
09-04-2012 Dawn
Uniform power hardship for all provinces: The second national energy conference decided to introduce uniform power loadshedding across the country and to take a number of energy conservation measures.

The decisions were announced by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in the presence of chief ministers of the four provinces.
25-04-2012 The News
Iran offers $500m for IP gas project: Iran, facing tough sanctions imposed by the US and Europe on account of its nuclear programme, has said it is ready to extend $500 million to Pakistan for laying the pipeline from Pak-Iran border to Nawabshah under IP gas pipeline project.

It also expressed readiness to export 70,000 to 80,000 barrels per day crude oil to Pakistan during the recent meeting between the officials of the two countries held in Tehran.
23-05-2012 Dawn
‘Peace pipeline’ accords signed: Turkmenistan signed agreements with India and Pakistan to deliver gas through a new pipeline that will transit Afghanistan, the first contracts in the ambitious project.

The 1,700km Tapi pipeline aims to transport more than 30 billion cubic metres of gas annually from Turkmenistan to energy-hungry consumers in Pakistan and India as well as relieving shortages in Afghanistan.
29-05-2012 Dawn
Gilani opens first solar grid station: Calling for a “socially responsible attitude” of the nation in the prevailing energy crisis, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said that “electricity should not be used as a luxury but to fulfil the country’s optimal requirements”.

“Simply switching off the electric gadgets from standby mode and using less energy-consuming lights and machines would save a lot of electricity to reduce the demand-supply gap,” he said while inaugurating the first solar grid station set up in Islamabad.
31-05-2012 Dawn
Accord to buy 1,000 MW from Iran signed: Pakistan signed an agreement with Iran for purchase of 1,000 MW electricity, said a spokesman for the National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC).
05-06-2012 The News
Pakistan WB sign $200m gas agreement: Pakistan and the World Bank (WB) signed a loan agreement under which the bank would provide $200 million assistance for Natural Gas Efficiency Project to enhance over all gas supply in the country.

The Project will be implemented by SSGC and it aims to enhance the supply of natural gas in Pakistan by reducing the physical and commercial losses of gas in the pipeline system and improve the operational capacity of SSGC.
22-06-2012 The News
World Bank agrees to provide funds for 4,320MW Dasu project: The World Bank has agreed to provide financial assistance for 4,320MW Dasu hydropower project, following the signing of an agreement with the government of Pakistan to provide $840 million for 1,410MW Tarbela 4th extension project.
It has also been agreed that the project will be constructed in phases after the initiation and finalisation plan of the 4,500MW Diamer-Bhasha dam project.
06-07-2012 Dawn
France agrees to finance hydropower project: France has agreed to finance the Jaggran-II hydropower project which will produce 48MW of electricity.
An agreement to this effect was signed by Country Director of the Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD) Nicolas Fornage and Additional Secretary of the Economic Affairs division Iftikhar Ahmad Rao in the presence of French Ambassador to Pakistan Philippe Thiebaud.
07-07-2012 The News
Pakistan third-largest country with most CNG vehicles: Pakistan has become the third country in the list of countries with the most natural gas vehicles, as over 26 per cent of the vehicles on the roads consume natural gas, suggests the data of Natural Gas Vehicles (NGV) Europe.
14-07-2012 The News
72MW Khan Khwar hydropower project inaugurated: The 72 megawatt Khan Khwar hydropower project was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. It has been constructed on Khan Khwar (Nullah), a right bank tributary of the Indus River near Besham town in District Shangla of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
25-07-2012 Dawn
300 CNG stations facing closure: In a bid to put a cap on once robust CNG industry, the government has refused to renew the licence of nearly 300 CNG stations, paving way for the closure of all CNG outlets in three years’ time. CNG licences were granted for the period of 15 years with provision of a five-year extension. The government, however, has decided not to grant any extension to manage the shortfall of gas.
10-08-2012 The News
WB, ADB want NOC from India: In a massive blow, the leading donor for Bhasha Dam, the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) has informally reversed its commitment to finance the project, top officials in EAD, Wapda, finance and water and power ministers told ‘The News’.

This has left Pakistan in the lurch and now the authorities concerned are going to put their heads together to find out alternatives to raise funds for the most important water and power project of Pakistan.

[azmatullah]

Eurozone
25-01-2012/Dawn
Germany refuses to take hit in EU debt: Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that Germany was not prepared to expose itself to further damage on the markets in order to save the eurozone as the IMF called for a pooling of rescue funds.
21-02-2012 Dawn
Greece secures $170bn bailout: The countries that use the euro pulled Greece back from an imminent and potentially catastrophic default, when they finally stitched together a (euro) 130 billion ($170 billion) rescue they hope will also provide a lifeline to their common currency.
29-02-2012 Dawn
ECB pumps cheap cash into eurozone banks: The European Central Bank again played firefighter in the eurozone debt crisis, flooding banks with nearly 530 billion euros in cheap loans to avert a dangerous credit squeeze.

The ECB said that 800 banks lined up to borrow a record 529.5 billion euros ($712 billion) at exceptionally low interest rates in its second three-year long-term refinancing operation, or LTRO.
09-03-2012 The News
Greece clinches landmark debt swap: Greece clinched a high-stakes debt swap, paving the way for an urgent bailout needed for the stricken eurozone member to avoid default.

Some 83.5 per cent of its private creditors tendered bonds for exchange, amounting to approximately 172 billion euros of debt, the Greek finance ministry announced early.
15-03-2012 Dawn
$36.7bn IMF loan for Greece okayed: The International Monetary Fund approved a new 28 billion euro ($36.7 billion) loan for Greece, as part of European Union’s huge new bailout plan for the debt-riddled country.
13-04-2012 Dawn
Portugal ratifies EU budget pact: Portugal, which received an international bailout last year, became the second EU country to ratify a European Union pact tightening budget discipline after Greece.
25-04-2012 Dawn
Britain slips back into recession: Britain was back in recession after the economy shrank again in the first quarter but the government insisted on sticking by its deep spending cuts despite concerns they undermine growth.

Britain’s gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 0.2 per cent between January and March, following a fall of 0.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011.
15-05-2012 The Daily Star
Hollande vows new strategy for France and Europe: François Hollande was sworn in as president of France with a solemn vow to find a new growth-led strategy to end the crippling debt crisis threatening to unravel the eurozone.



Mr Hollande also named his new prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, a 62year-old long-time Hollande ally and the head of the Socialists` parliamentary bloc, who was tipped as favourite.
18-06-2012 Tribune
Narrow margin for conservatives forestalls euro exit: In a vote that was widely seen as a last chance for Greece to remain in the euro zone, voters have given a narrow victory in parliamentary elections to a party that had supported a bailout for the country's failed economy.

Greece's choice was welcomed by the finance ministers of the euro zone countries, who said in a statement in Brussels that the outcome of the vote “should allow for the formation of a government that will carry the support of the electorate to bring Greece back on a path of sustainable growth.”

[azmatullah]

Iran
01-01-2012/Dawn
Defiant Iran tests missile as US unleashes new sanctions: Iran announced that it had tested a new missile and made an advance in its nuclear programme after the United States unleashed extra sanctions that sent its currency to a record low.
02-01-2012/Dawn
Iran tests missiles near key strait: Iran tested missiles near the Strait of Hormuz, underlining its threats to close the vital oil-transit waterway as the West readies to impose more economic sanctions over Tehran's nuclear drive.
09-01-2012/The News
IAEA confirms Iran enriching uranium at new plant: The UN atomic agency confirmed that Iran has started enriching uranium to 20-per cent purity at a new site in a difficult-to-bomb mountain bunker. “The IAEA can confirm that Iran has started the production of uranium enriched up to 20 per cent... in the Fordo Fuel Enrichment Plant,” the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna said in a statement.
17-01-2012/Dawn
Iran urges Saudi Arabia not to open oil taps: Iran warned Saudi Arabia to reconsider its vow to make up for any shortfall in Iranian oil exports under new sanctions, saying Riyadh's pledge to step into the market was unfriendly.
18-01-2012/Dawn
Attack on Iran will be 'catastrophe', warns Russia: Russia warned that a military strike on Iran would be a “catastrophe” with the severest consequences that risked inflaming existing tensions between Sunni and Shia Muslims.Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also accused the West of trying to suffocate the Iranian economy and incite popular discontent with new sanctions such as a proposed oil embargo.
15-02-2012 Dawn
Tehran claims advances in N-programme: Iran announced new strides in its nuclear programme, in a defiant blow to US and EU pressure to rein in its atomic activities and amid signs of an increasingly vicious covert war with Israel over the issue.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled on state television what was said to be Iran’s first domestically produced, 20-per cent enriched nuclear fuel for Tehran’s research reactor.
18-02-2012 The News
Iran deploys warships to Mediterranean Sea: Iranian warships entered the Mediterranean Sea after crossing the Suez Canal to show Tehran’s “might” to regional states, the navy commander said, at a time of simmering tensions with Israel
04-03-2012 Daily Times
Khamenei allies trounce Ahmadinejad in Iran election: Loyalists of Iran’s paramount clerical leader have won over 75 per cent of seats in parliamentary elections, a near-complete count showed, largely reducing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to a lame duck in a contest between conservative hardline factions.

13-03-2012 Dawn
Chinese bank ditches Iran gas project: A consortium led by the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) has ‘run away’ from providing financial advisory services for the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project apparently because of the US opposition to the plan and forced the government to look for alternative financing options.
29-03-2012 Dawn
Turkey supports Iran’s N-plan: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan voiced his country’s unwavering support for Tehran’s nuclear ambitions in a meeting with Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, according to an official statement.
22-04-2012 Dawn
Iranian military claims of copying US drone: Iran’s military has started to build a copy of a US surveillance drone captured last year after breaking the software encryption.
14-06-2012 The News
Pak-Iran trade gate closed: The Trade gate (Zero Point) at the Pak-Iran border has been closed for an indefinite period.

[azmatullah]

Nuclear Proliferation
Australia ranked first, N. Korea last on nuclear safety: Australia has the tightest security controls among nations with nuclear material while North Korea poses the world's greatest risks, a new index by experts said.

The Nuclear Threat Initiative, in a project led by former US senator Sam Nunnand the Economist Intelligence Unit, aims to draw attention to steps that nations can take to ensure the safety of the world's most destructive weapons.
17-02-2012 Dawn
Britain and France sign nuclear power deals at summit: French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron put recent disputes behind them to unveil a nuclear power deal and renew their own sometimes shaky political alliance.

Celebrating a multi-million pound (euro) nuclear power deal and ever closer defence ties, the Paris summit was a far cry from recent encounters between the pair at European summits in Brussels, where they have clashed bitterly.
29-02-2012 Dawn
N. Korea to observe N-moratorium: North Korea’s new leadership said it has agreed to suspend nuclear tests and its uranium enrichment programme as part of a deal that includes US food aid for the impoverished nation.

26-03-2012 Dawn
Gilani stresses joint efforts for N-safety: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani emphasised ‘national responsibility’ for strengthening nuclear security as he renewed demand for access to civilian nuclear energy and made a strong pitch for Pakistan’s membership of atomic cartels, in particular the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

“National measures are the most important part of our efforts to enhance nuclear security. If nations do not move, nothing would move. If nations move feebly, nuclear risks increase many times,” Mr Gilani said at a dinner attended by world leaders participating in the Nuclear Security Summit.
27-03-2012 Dawn
Role of IAEA stressed: The Nuclear Security Summit concluded in Seoul by underscoring the centrality of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the global nuclear security structure and issuing voluntary guidelines for participating states to maintain effective security of radioactive material.
27-03-2012 Dawn
World leaders agree to work on securing N-material by 2014: World leaders including US President Barack Obama and China’s Hu Jintao agreed to work on securing and accounting for all nuclear material by 2014, wrapping up a 53-nation summit overshadowed by North Korea’s planned rocket launch.
19-04-2012 Dawn
India tests missile capable of hitting targets across China: India successfully test-fired a new missile capable of delivering a one-tonne nuclear warhead anywhere in China, marking a major step forward in its military capabilities.

Currently only the five permanent members of the UN Security Council Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States possess a declared ICBM capability.
05-05-2012 Dawn
Japan switches off last nuclear reactor: Thousands of Japanese marched to celebrate the switching off of the last of their nation’s 50 nuclear reactors, waving banners shaped as giant fish that have become a potent anti-nuclear symbol.

Japan was without electricity from nuclear power for the first time in four decades when the reactor at Tomari nuclear plant on the northern island of Hokkaido went offline.
02-08-2012 Gulf News
Australia signs N-deal with UAE: Australia has signed a nuclear supply treaty with the United Arab Emirates in a deal Foreign Minister Bob Carr said would see the Gulf state become Canberra’s first Middle Eastern uranium customer.

Carr and UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan inked the deal in Abu Dhabi, with the Australian minister describing it as a “step forward” for the Emirates’ domestic nuclear power plans.
09-08-2012 Hindustan Times
India tests nuclear-capable missile: India successfully test-fired its medium range nuclear capable Agni-II missile with a strike range of 2000km as part of a user trial by the army from the wheeler island off Odisha coast.

[azmatullah]

Pak-US Relations
11-12-2011/Dawn
US vacates Shamsi airbase; FC in control: The United States completed evacuation of the Shamsi airbase when two aircraft took off with the last contingent of 32 troops. Frontier Corps personnel took over the airbase after departure of the American soldiers.
22-12-2011/Dawn
US offers compensation to Pakistan: The United States has offered to send a team to Pakistan to brief the military on the findings of its investigation into the Nato raid, the State Department said. According to the statement, The US was prepared to offer compensation to the families of troops who lost their lives.
23-12-2011/Dawn
Pak Army did not fire first: ISPR: The Pakistan Army rejected key findings from a US investigation into American air strikes of Nov 26, 2011, that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and said the report was unlikely to repair the severely damaged relationship between the two countries.
08-02-2012/Dawn
Contacts with Nato and Isaf resume: A meeting of senior military officials of Pakistan, Afghanistan and coalition forces based in Afghanistan held for discussing border security and coordination marked the formal resumption of military contacts with the US and Nato after months of estrangement in the aftermath of November 26 strikes on Pakistani border posts.
25-02-2012 Dawn
Air corridor for Nato was never closed: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said that the air corridor for Nato supplies had never been closed, taking a plea that the cabinet had decided to suspend supplies for the US-led troops in Afghanistan through the land route only.

“The Defence Committee of the Cabinet had taken a decision to suspend supplies for Nato through land route and get the Shamsi airbase vacated. We are bound by that.”
20-03-2012 Dawn
Parliament sets out to reorder US ties: On a dusty day, parliament set out on an unfamiliar road to guide foreign policy, with a key committee demanding that the United States “review its footprints” in Pakistan at the cost of some money, ego and military tactics.

The much-awaited report of the all-party Parliamentary Committee on National Security (PCNS), presented in a joint sitting of the National Assembly and Senate, included calls for US and Nato forces in Afghanistan to pay charges for the transit of their supplies via Pakistan, an “unconditional” US apology for a deadly attack on Pakistani border posts in November and a halt to drone attacks in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

Key recommendations
• The US must review its footprints in Pakistan which means cessation of drone attacks
• No hot pursuit or boots on Pakistani territory
• Activities of foreign private security contractors must be transparent, subject to Pakistani law
• Pakistan should seek civilian nuclear treaty with the US similar to the one signed by India
• Government should seek an unconditional apology from the US over the attack on border posts
• No use of Pakistan bases or airspace by foreign forces without parliamentary approval
• Any consideration regarding reopening of Nato supply routes must be contingent upon a thorough revision of terms and conditions of arrangement
• No verbal agreement regarding national security shall be entered into by the government its ministries, departments or organisations with any foreign government.
• There should be prior permission and transparency on number and presence of foreign intelligence operatives in country
• Taxes and other charges must be levied on all goods imported in or transiting through Pakistan
• Pakistan should actively pursue gas pipeline with Iran
02-04-2012 Dawn
US puts $10m bounty on Hafiz Saeed: The United States placed Lashkar-i-Taiba chief Hafiz Mohammed Saeed, along with his brother-in-law Hafiz Abdul Rehman Makki, on the most-wanted terrorist list.
The $10 million reward brought Hafiz Saeed at par with Taliban founder Mullah Omar, who the US holds responsible for 9/11. Saeed was designated global terrorist in December 2008 and Makki in November 2010.
05-04-2012 The News
Hafiz Saeed issue is Pakistan’s internal matter: Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani maintained that the Hafiz Saeed issue was an internal matter and one that concerned Pakistan only, adding that any concrete proof against the accused should be provided to Islamabad which has an independent judiciary.
30-03-2012 Dawn
Fai jailed in US over Kashmir lobbying charge: A US-based Pakistani who allegedly concealed his true role while lobbying American politicians for decades over Kashmir was sentenced to two years in jail, justice officials said.
Syed Ghulam Nabi Fai was arrested in July and charged with conspiracy for using at least $3.5 million from the Islamabad-based government to lobby US lawmakers to support Pakistan’s goal of self-determination for Kashmiris.
12-04-2012 Dawn
No arms conduit, green signal for non-lethal Nato supplies: The parliament recommended to the government to no more let Pakistan serve as conduit of arms to Afghanistan, but gave a green signal for a resumption of non-lethal Nato supplies to the war-ravaged country.

And before the joint sitting of the National Assembly and Senate unanimously adopted revised recommendations of a bipartisan Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani assured the house that his government would implement its landmark guidelines “in letter and spirit”.
The 14 points of the report include following recommendations:
• The US footprint in Pakistan must be reviewed. This would mean an immediate cessation of drone attacks inside Pakistan and cessation of infiltration into Pakistan territory on any pretext, including hot pursuit.

• No verbal agreement regarding national security shall be entered into by the government or any department or organisation with any foreign government or authority.

• Active pursuit of gas pipeline projects with Iran and Turkmenistan.

• Pakistan’s nuclear programme and assets, including its safety and security, cannot be compromised.

• The US-Indo civil nuclear agreement has significantly altered the strategic balance in the region. Pakistan should seek from the US and others a similar treatment/facility.

• The strategic position of Pakistan vis-à-vis India on the subject of FMCT must not be compromised and this principle be kept in view in negotiations on this matter.

• The Government of Pakistan should seek an unconditional apology from the US for the unprovoked incident of November 26, 2011, in Mohmand Agency. Those held responsible for the attack should be brought to justice.

• The Ministry of Defence/PAF should formulate new flying rules for areas contiguous to the border.

• For negotiating or renegotiating agreements/MOUs pertaining to or dealing with matters of national security that all agreements, including military cooperation and logistics, will be circulated to all concerned ministries and the Parliamentary Committee on National Security.

• The international community should recognise Pakistan’s colossal human and economic losses and continued suffering due to the war on terror.

• There is no military solution to the Afghan conflict and efforts must be undertaken to promote a genuine national reconciliation and to strengthen security along the Pakistan border.

• Pakistani territory shall not be used for any kind of attacks on other countries and all foreign fighters, if found, shall be expelled from our soil.

• The dialogue process with India should be continued in a result-oriented manner, including the efforts for the solution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Resolution. Strategic partnership with China must be deepened in all its dimensions; relationship with the Russian Federation should be further strengthened; Pakistan’s support for the promotion of peace and stability in Afghanistan remains the cornerstone of its foreign policy; country’s special relationship with the Islamic world should be reinforced, its full membership of SCO be actively pursued; Pakistan’s bilateral relationships in the region and its institutional partnership with ASEAN and GCC must be upgraded and Pakistan should actively pursue the gas pipeline projects with Iran and Turkmenistan.
16-04-2012 Dawn
Agreement signed for $110m assistance: The United States will provide an additional assistance of $110 million to Pakistan for ongoing judicial reforms, border security, law enforcement and counter-narcotics projects.
17-04-2012 Dawn
DCC go-ahead for resetting Pak-US ties: The Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) gave a go-ahead for starting negotiations with the US for resetting ties in the light of parliamentary review.

The negotiations are expected to primarily revolve round resumption of Nato supplies, counter-terrorism cooperation, greater transparency in US operations in Pakistan, demand for civilian nuclear deal and expulsion of foreign operatives from the country.
21-05-2012 The News
Parliament roadmap to guide Nato deal: President Asif Ali Zardari told Nato leaders that Parliament had provided a roadmap for negotiating the issue of blocked Nato supplies, and that the Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC) had issued directives to the Pakistani government to reach a deal with the United States on reopening its.

The 2012 Chicago Summit was held in Chicago, Illinois, on 20 and 21 May 2012. This was the first time ever that a Nato summit held in the United States outside of the nation's capital. The participants were the heads of states and heads of governments of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
23-05-2012 Dawn
Dr Afridi jailed for 33 years for helping CIA: Dr Shakil Afridi, accused of helping the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) acquire DNA samples of members of Osama bin Laden’s family, was sentenced to 33 years in prison for treason.

Dr Afridi who worked as a government surgeon was also fined Rs. 320,000 and in case of default, he would have to undergo an additional three years imprisonment.
07-06-2012 Dawn
US losing patience with Pakistan: The US military chief and lawmakers backed their Defence Secretary Leon Panetta, saying that the United States indeed was running out of patience with Pakistan. Mr Panetta warned Pakistan to stop supporting the Haqqani network or face the consequences as the US was “running out of patience” with this attitude.
12-05-2012 The Economic Times
India signs $560 million howitzer deal with US: India has agreed a $560 million deal to buy 145 howitzer guns from BAE Systems of the United States as it moves ahead to upgrade its antiquated military hardware. India is updating its military capabilities with hardware worth tens of billions of dollars.
03-07-2012 Dawn
Nato supply routes reopened: The Defence Committee of the Cabinet allowed reopening of Nato ground supply routes for the sake of Afghan peace and stability and facilitating drawdown of coalition forces from Afghanistan after the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said 'sorry' over the deaths of 24 Pakistani troops in the Salala border post attack.
The defence committee serves as the highest national security policy coordination forum in Pakistan.

04-07-2012 The News
Nato supplies rumble through Pak soil: Following the federal government's decision to restore the Nato supplies to Afghanistan through Pakistan, the transportation of goods resumed as dozens of containers and oil tankers crossed into the neighbouring country through the Chaman border.
19-07-2012 Dawn
US House reduces Pakistan military aid by $650m: The US House of Representatives has cut $650 million from its military aid to Pakistan amid warnings that the move will send a wrong message to the Pakistani people.
25-07-2012 The News
Cabinet approves draft pact with US on Nato supplies: The federal cabinet approved the written agreement regarding reopening of Nato supplies to Afghanistan and decided to file a libel case against the British tabloid, ‘The Sun,’ in the courts of United Kingdom for publishing a false story about a passport scam in Pakistan.
31-07-2012 Dawn
Agreement with US on supplies signed: The government signed with the United States a memorandum of understanding (MoU) governing supplies to and from American troops in Afghanistan.

The signing of the accord for ‘Transit of cargo to and from Afghanistan through Pakistan’ paved the way for the release of $1.18 billion in Coalition Support Fund reimbursements held up for over two years.
03-08-2012 Daily Times
US releases new funds for Pakistani energy projects: US Congress has released $280 million in new US assistance to support Pakistan’s energy sector. The funds will support improvements to Mangla Dam and infrastructure support and due diligence work on the Kurram Tangi Dam project.

[azmatullah]

Palestine
13-12-2011/Dawn
Palestinian flag raised at Unesco headquarters: Palestinians raised their flag at the headquarters of the UN cultural agency in Paris as the agency's 195th member, a historic move and symbolic boost for their push for an independent state.
15-12-2011/Daily Times
112 countries recognise Palestine as a state: At least 112 countries around the world have formally recognised Palestine as a state, stretching from Africa to Asia, Europe to Latin America. In Latin America, Uruguay and Peru joined the growing ranks of countries which recognised Palestine this year, with 12 out of the region's 13 countries formally recognising it as a state.
22-12-2011/Dawn
Hamas moves to join PLO umbrella: The rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas took an important step toward reconciliation, announcing plans for the Islamic militants to join the umbrella group that has overseen two decades of on-and-off peace talks with Israel. Under the agreement, Hamas' supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal, joined a committee that will prepare for elections of the PLO's parliament in exile. He will serve alongside Abbas.
19-01-2012/The News
Thailand recognises Palestine: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas thanked Thailand for recognising a Palestinian state, according to a statement carried by the WAFA news agency.
06-02-2012/Dawn
Fatah, Hamas to form unity govt: The rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have agreed to form a new unity government in the West Bank and Gaza, which will be headed by Mahmoud Abbas.
26-03-2012 Dawn
Israel cuts contact with UN rights council: The Israeli foreign ministry decided to cut contact with the United Nations Human Rights Council after it said last week it would investigate Israeli settlements, a spokesman said.
“There was a decision by the foreign ministry to sever work contacts with the organisation,” ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said, adding that Israel had yet to formally inform the council of its decision.
18-04-2012 Tribune
Palestinian prime minister pulls out of high-level talks: The Palestinian Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, has pulled out of a planned meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, torpedoing what was set to be the highest-level talks between the sides in nearly two years.
27-04-2012 The News
Obama signs waiver to lift Palestinian aid barrier: President Barack Obama has signed a waiver declaring that aid to the Palestinian Authority, is “important to the security interests of the United States,” removing a block on such funding.
15-05-2012 The Guardian
Israel putting any two-state peace deal at risk: EU: The European Union has warned that the prospect of a peaceful and viable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, involving two states side by side, is in jeopardy because of Israeli actions.

In a sharply critical statement issued in Brussels, the EU foreign affairs council warned that the acceleration of settlement construction, evictions and house demolitions in East Jerusalem, settler violence and provocations, and worsening conditions for Palestinians in most of the West Bank “threaten to make a two-state solution impossible”.
15-05-2012 The New York Times
Palestinian prisoners end hunger strike: Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have ended a hunger strike that had lasted for weeks, signing an agreement with the Israeli authorities that promised improved conditions, according to officials. The end of the strike calmed fears of widespread unrest in the event of a prisoner’s death.
• 24-05-2012 Asian Tribune
US State Dept names Abdallah Azzam Brigades terrorist group: The US State Department has designated the Abdallah Azzam Brigades, a group based in Lebanon and the Arabian Peninsula and accused of indiscriminate rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation, it said.
Hezbollah Is Accused for Attack on Israeli Tourists (July 18): Outside a Bulgarian airport, a suicide bomber attacks a tour bus of Israelis passengers who were in Bulgaria on vacation. Along with the bomber, five Israelis and the Bulgarian driver are killed. Dozens more passengers are injured. Immediately following the attack, Israel blames Iran-backed militia, Hezbollah, and promises to retaliate. Of the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says in a statement, "All the signs lead to Iran. Only in the past few months we have seen Iranian attempts to attack Israelis in Thailand, India, Georgia, Kenya, Cyprus and other places. Eighteen years exactly after the blast at the Jewish community center in Argentina, murderous Iranian terror continues to hit innocent people. This is an Iranian terror attack that is spreading throughout the entire world. Israel will react powerfully against Iranian terror."
Israel Kills Hamas Commander in Gaza Attack (Nov. 14): In one of its biggest attacks on Gaza since the invasion four years ago, Israel launches an aerial attack and hits at least 20 targets. One of those targets is a Hamas military commander, Ahmed al-Jabari. He is killed while traveling through Gaze in a car. The airstrikes are in response to recent, repeated rocket attacks by Palestinian militants located in Gaza.
• (Nov. 15): Israel continues a second day of airstrikes on Gaza and the Palestinian death toll rises to 11. Meanwhile, Hamas fires rockets into southern Israel, killing three civilians. The Israeli deaths will likely lead to Israel increasing its military offensive in Gaza. In a nationally televised address, Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi says that his country will stand by the Palestinians, "The Egyptian people, the Egyptian leadership, the Egyptian government, and all of Egypt is standing with all its resources to stop this assault, to prevent the killing and the bloodshed of Palestinians."
• (Nov. 18): Israel continues to target members of Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza, and Hamas launches several hundred rockets, with some hitting Tel Aviv. Egypt, while a staunch supporter of Hamas, attempts to broker a peace agreement between Hamas and Israel to prevent the conflict from further destabilizing the region.
• (Nov. 21): Egypt's foreign minister, Mohamed Kamel Amr, and U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton announce that a cease-fire has been signed. Both sides agree to end hostilities toward each other and Israel says it will open Gaza border crossings, allowing the flow of products and people into Gaza, potentially lifting the 5-year blockade that has caused much hardship to those living in the region.
•
• UN Approves Non-Member State Status for Palestine (Nov. 29): The United Nations General Assembly approves an upgrade from the Palestinian Authority's current observer status to that of a non-member state. The vote comes after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks to the General Assembly and asks for a "birth certificate" for his country. Of the 193 nations in the General Assembly, 138 vote in favor of the upgrade in status. While the vote is a victory for Palestine, it is a diplomatic setback for the U.S. and Israel. Having the title of "non-member observer state" will allow Palestine access to international organizations such as the International Criminal Court (ICC). If they join the ICC, Palestine can file complaints of war crimes against Israel. In response to the UN vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces that Israel will not transfer about $100 million in much-needed tax revenue owed to the struggling Palestinian Authority and will resume plans to build 3,000-unit settlement in an area that divides the north and the south parts of the West Bank, thereby denying the Palestinians any chance for having a contiguous state.
------------------------------------------------------------
• ---------------------------------------------------------------
05-08-2012 The Times of Israel
Israel bars envoys; West Bank conference cancelled: A meeting of envoys from the Non-Aligned Movement due to convene in the Israeli-occupied West Bank was scrapped after Israel refused to admit four attendees from states with which it has no diplomatic relations, Palestinian officials said.

[azmatullah]

Pak India
26-12-2011/Dawn
Pak and India resume conventional CBM talks: Pakistan proposed to India deployment of artillery and mortars 30 kilometres away from the Line of Control (LoC) as the two sides revived talks on conventional and nuclear confidence-building measures (CBMs) after a gap of four years.
27-12-2011/Dawn
Pakistan and India agree to extend nuclear pacts: Senior Pakistani and Indian officials agreed on extending pacts on reducing risks of nuclear accidents and pre-notification of ballistic missile tests.
29-02-2012 Dawn
Restriction-free trade with India after Dec: The federal cabinet flung open the doors for trade with India by raising the number of items that can be imported from the country from 1,946 to almost 5,600.

The decision overruled reservations of the ministries of textile and industries which had been pushing for restricted trade with India to protect domestic manufacturers.
03-03-2012 The News
India builds new huge Gyspa Dam on Chenab: In a shocking but revealing development, India has initiated the construction of another large dam by the name of Gyspa Hydroelectric Project Dam on the River Chenab, with a storage capacity of 1.2 million acre feet of water.
27-03-2012 Dawn
Pakistan wants result-oriented talks: The widely anticipated but eventually unscripted and informal meeting between the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers in Seoul has nudged the dialogue process between their officials to be a result-oriented exercise, scant insights into the brief meeting on the margins of an international nuclear summit there indicated.
07-04-2012 The News
135 buried alive as avalanche hits Siachen camp: An avalanche smashed into a Pakistan Army camp burying at least 135 soldiers and civilians in the area on the border with India billed as the world’s highest battleground, the military said.

As many as 135 persons including 124 army soldiers of the 6th Northern Light Infantry Battalion and 11 civilians came under a huge snow slide in the Gayari Sector near Skardu, says an ISPR press release.
15-03-2012 Dawn
India’s claim of support for UNSC seat belied: Despite India’s two-year efforts to secure a permanent seat in the powerful UN Security Council along with Brazil, Germany and Japan most UN members remain unconvinced by the rationale given by the so-called G-4 countries.
Many UN delegates say G-4 countries seeking expansion of both permanent and non-permanent categories of membership have even failed to prove their last year’s claim of having enlisted the support of 80 countries — a figure below the majority required for any proposal to succeed in the 193-member General Assembly
16-03-2012 The News
India hikes defence spending by 17 per cent: India boosted military spending by 17 per cent to $40 billion for the coming year as it seeks to counter China’s rapid military build-up and its traditional rival Pakistan.
19-03-2012 Dawn
India and Pakistan among top arm importers: Asia leads the world when it comes to weapon imports, according to a study released by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri).
Globally the volume of international transfers of major conventional weapons was 24 per cent higher in the period 2007-11 compared to the 2002-06 period, the report said.
09-04-2012 Dawn
Indian SC grants bail to Dr Chishti: “Let there be more such good news,” Indian Supreme Court commented on the bonhomie between India and Pakistan during the visit of President Asif Ali Zardari to the country, while granting bail to 80-year-old Pakistani virologist Dr Mohammad Khalil Chishti who is undergoing life imprisonment in an Ajmer jail for killing a man in 1992.
13-04-2012 The News
Pak-India trade gate opens: Pakistan and India formally opened the Land Freight Unit, a dedicated trade gate for the promotion of bilateral trade through Wagha-Atari border.
14-04-2012 Dawn
Bashir new high commissioner to India: The government formally announced the appointment of Salman Bashir as new high commissioner to India. He has replaced Shahid Malik.

According the Foreign Office, Mr Bashir has served as foreign secretary from 2008 to March 2012 and was also Pakistan’s ambassador to Denmark, Lithuania, China and Mongolia. He also served at the Pakistan’s mission to the United Nations in Geneva as well as at the Organisation of Islamic Conference in Jeddah.
29-05-2012 Dawn
Avalanche victims declared ‘martyrs’: All the 139 people, 124 of them soldiers, buried in snow when they were hit by an avalanche in Gayari sector of Siachen over 50 days ago have been declared martyrs.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that the nature and magnitude of the calamity suggested that there was no probability of recovering any person alive.
12-07-2012 The News
ICA issues stay order on Kishanganga Dam: The International Court of Arbitration has issued a stay order on the construction of Kishanganga Dam on the Neelum River at Gurez. According to the media reports the international court has ruled in the favour of Pakistan.
01-08-2012 Dawn
India allows investments from Pakistan: India overturned a ban on foreign investment from Pakistan, the Indian commerce ministry said. The move is aimed at building goodwill amid a renewed push for peace.

“The government of India has reviewed the policy and decided to permit a citizen of Pakistan or an entity incorporated in Pakistan to make investments in India,” said a statement from the ministry.