Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Reflection
His plan from the beginning included every provision, every rescue, every protection that you would ever require. Nothing is too big for Him. Nothing is out of His jurisdiction or control. No circumstance in your life is a surprise to Him. Nor is He without a plan.He is the Sovereign God who gave His life willingly for you. How much more is He willing to do in your behalf?
He committed to being your Father and to caring for you as His child. He will never leave you or forsake you. He is not a God who abandons His children. He will not leave you alone.
Consider His great love for you when He created you with the sole purpose of you becoming His companion and friend, His child. He loves you because He loves you, because He loves you, because that is who He is. You were created for the sole purpose of being loved by our radical relational God.
Heart of the Holy Spirit
Welcome to the Secret Place!
Come and enter into the place of God's presence. Let Him take your cares, and burdens for a few minutes and come into His rest. Let Him refresh your spirit.Step through that portal between this earthly realm and the realm of the Spirit where He awaits you.
Here in the quiet, let Him breathe new life into your Spirit as God's peace settles upon your soul. His hands are extended to take your cares upon Himself for He cares for you. Allow the Holy Spirit to refresh you and minister His peace.
Can you feel that quiet enveloping your soul?
In His presence all fear is gone. In His presence the cares of this world diminish. In His presence the anxious thoughts are quieted. New perspective emerges as you rest from the striving.
Jesus said to His disciples, "Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is life not more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all of his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you?"
Having compassion on their weak understanding of how much the Father loved them , He said gently, I believe, "Oh! you of little faith! So do not worry saying 'what will I eat?' or 'what will I drink?' or 'what will I wear?' for the pagans run after these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all of these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~~Matthew 6:25-34
Take a minute to focus on His kindness. Consider some of His many blessings. Salvation is a good place to start. What are you most grateful for this day? Consider how He has demonstrated His faithfulness to you.
Let the Holy Spirit remind you of those personal blessings. Release worry to the care of your faithful God. Trust Him. Let those anxious thoughts flow into the river of forgetfulness. Let them be washed away now
Come and enter into the place of God's presence. Let Him take your cares, and burdens for a few minutes and come into His rest. Let Him refresh your spirit.Step through that portal between this earthly realm and the realm of the Spirit where He awaits you.
Here in the quiet, let Him breathe new life into your Spirit as God's peace settles upon your soul. His hands are extended to take your cares upon Himself for He cares for you. Allow the Holy Spirit to refresh you and minister His peace.
Can you feel that quiet enveloping your soul?
In His presence all fear is gone. In His presence the cares of this world diminish. In His presence the anxious thoughts are quieted. New perspective emerges as you rest from the striving.
Jesus said to His disciples, "Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is life not more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all of his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you?"
Having compassion on their weak understanding of how much the Father loved them , He said gently, I believe, "Oh! you of little faith! So do not worry saying 'what will I eat?' or 'what will I drink?' or 'what will I wear?' for the pagans run after these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all of these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~~Matthew 6:25-34
Take a minute to focus on His kindness. Consider some of His many blessings. Salvation is a good place to start. What are you most grateful for this day? Consider how He has demonstrated His faithfulness to you.
Let the Holy Spirit remind you of those personal blessings. Release worry to the care of your faithful God. Trust Him. Let those anxious thoughts flow into the river of forgetfulness. Let them be washed away now
Friday, June 12, 2009
India to phase out army presence in H-Kashmir: minister
SRINAGAR: India is to phase out the controversial presence of large numbers of its troops in towns across the held Kashmir, Indian home minister announced Friday. The announcement comes amid sustained protests over last month's rape and murder of two local Muslim women by members of the Indian security forces.Home Minister P. Chidambaran told a news conference in Srinagar, where he has been conducting an urgent review of the security situation, that the army should carry out counter-insurgency operations "far away from towns and cities." "In the inhabited areas we believe maintaining law and order is the primary responsibility of the state police," he told reporters. He did not give a timetable for the redeployment of troops, but said: "It will take some time. That is the direction in which we have agreed to move and we will move."
Fifteen more bodies found from Air France crash
RECIFE, Brazil: Further fifteen bodies have been recovered from the debris of an Air France jet that plunged into the Atlantic nearly a week ago, as investigators probe whether a defective speedometer caused the tragedy.
Fifteen more bodies were snatched from the waves 1,150 kilometers (600 miles) off Brazil's northeastern coast on Sunday, when search teams battled "unfavorable" weather conditions to recover other bodies spotted floating among seats and other plane debris, Brazilian military officials said.
Now, the number of dead bodies found so far has reached 17.
"Dozens of structural components" from the Airbus A330 were also picked up, air force spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Henry Munhoz told reporters in Recife, a coastal city in northeastern Brazil.
The latest finds followed the recovery on Saturday of the first two bodies from Air France flight AF 447, which came down early June 1 with 228 people on board. The plane left from Rio de Janeiro to Paris a week ago, on May 31.
The bodies were to be taken by ship to Brazil's Atlantic archipelago of Fernando de Noronha from where they would be flown to Recife for identification, Munhoz said.
On Saturday, the bodies of two men were the first to be recovered by Brazilian navy personnel from the zone located 1,150 kilometers (715 miles) from Recife.
The 15 others were taken from the water on Sunday by teams from a Brazilian frigate and a French navy ship involved in the operation.
Of those 15 bodies, four were men and four were women. The gender of the others had not yet been determined.
Police experts arrived on the island to carry out preliminary identification work and collect basic information, such as the state of the bodies and any clothing, according to air force spokesman Jorge Amaral.
Earlier on Sunday Munhoz had said "some 100 objects" had been spotted in the crash zone, including other seats emblazoned with the Air France logo and oxygen masks.
The black boxes from the plane have not yet been found.
A French navy frigate on Sunday joined the search effort. Two French military aircraft were already flying with the 12 Brazilian air force planes at work in the area.
Two French submarines, including one that explored the wreck of the Titanic and another, nuclear powered warship, were also on their way to hunt for the devices, which will stop transmitting their location in three weeks.
With clues still being pieced together over the crash, speculation is focusing on its airspeed monitors.
N Korea jails US journalists for 12 years
SEOUL: A North Korean court Monday sentenced two US women journalists to 12 years in a labour camp for an illegal border crossing and an unspecified "grave crime," state media reported.
A five-day trial "confirmed the grave crime they committed against the Korean nation and their illegal border crossing," the Korean news agency said.
The Central Court "sentenced each of them to 12 years of reform through labour." The sentences will further fuel tensions with Washington after the North's April 5 rocket launch and May 25 nuclear test.
The US State Department said it is "deeply concerned" and is using all possible channels to secure their release.
Undeclared curfew in Srinagar, Shopian
SRINAGAR: In occupied Kashmir, all major cities and towns have been sealed and nobody is being allowed to venture out to march towards Shopian where two young innocent women were raped and murdered by Indian troops on May 30.
The authorities have imposed undeclared curfew in downtown areas of Srinagar and in Shopian town to prevent people from holding anti-India demonstrations. People of the downtown areas told media men that they are not being allowed to move out of their houses by Indian troops and police personnel.
Indian troops holding heavy automatic weapons and sticks have been witnessed marching the deserted streets. All exit and entrance points at the district headquarters have been sealed.
On the other hand, the APHC Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Mohammad Yasin Malik, Mian Abdul Qayoom, Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi and other Hurriyet leaders have been placed under house arrest. The occupation authorities put in jails several Hurriyet leaders including Syed Ali Gilani, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Yasmeen Raja, Muhammad Saleem Nunnaji, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Farida Behanji and Mushtaq-ul-Islam.
Oil prices slip amid dollar bounce
NEW YORK: Oil prices fell Monday amid a strengthening dollar, hovering at around 68 dollars a barrel after spiking to seven-month highs above 70 dollars before the weekend.
New York's main futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in July, dipped 35 cents from its closing price on Friday to 68.09 dollars a barrel.
On Friday the contract had at one point touched 70.32 dollars -- the highest level since November 4.
London Brent North Sea crude for July delivery dropped 46 cents to 67.88 dollars.
"The rise of the euro and sterling (pound) versus the dollar has stumbled, and one of the more tenuous reasons for holding length in oil, or any other dollar based commodity for that matter, is in retreat," said John Kilduff of MF Global.
A stronger US currency makes dollar-priced crude more expensive for buyers holding weaker currencies, in turn denting demand and pushing down prices. When the dollar weakens the reverse tends to occur.
The dollar has been climbing against key currencies, especially the euro, since Friday as traders digested a mostly positive US jobs report and a credit downgrade for Ireland, while British political turmoil threw the spotlight on the pound.
Some analysts said oil prices might have climbed too rapidly against the uncertainly over a global recovery from the worst economic crisis in decades.
"I think there are still demand issues with this high unemployment rate continuing over the next months," said Andy Lipow of Lipow Oil Associates.
A US labor report on Friday said the unemployment rate surged to 9.4 percent in May, while the number of job losses slowed to a better-than-expected 345,000.
The report, seen as one of the best indicators of economic momentum in the United States, the world's biggest energy consumer, suggested that the pace of massive job cuts is easing, a positive sign for the recession-battered economy.
SC orders re-instatement of 400 SSGC employees
ISLAMABAD: Sui Southern Gas Company didn’t re-instate the three thousand employees despite Presidential Ordinance and assurances on the other hand, Supreme Court has ordered the re-instatement of 400 employees.
Labour leaders said that SSGC and a special official committee had decided to re-instate the employees from April 1 this year, but they have not been re-instated thus far. The leaders told that their attendance was being taken only and added that the employees were neither called for duty at any place nor they were being paid the salaries.
On the other hand, SSGC sources told Geo News that the salaries of these employees were to be provided by the government under the finalized accord, as the company didn’t have that much of financial resources for paying the salaries of the new employees.
Labour leaders told that a protest demonstration against the non-re-instatement of the employees would be staged on June 12 at Hyderabad.
Labour leaders said that SSGC and a special official committee had decided to re-instate the employees from April 1 this year, but they have not been re-instated thus far. The leaders told that their attendance was being taken only and added that the employees were neither called for duty at any place nor they were being paid the salaries.
On the other hand, SSGC sources told Geo News that the salaries of these employees were to be provided by the government under the finalized accord, as the company didn’t have that much of financial resources for paying the salaries of the new employees.
Labour leaders told that a protest demonstration against the non-re-instatement of the employees would be staged on June 12 at Hyderabad.
NATO troop among 57 killed in Afghan insurgency
KABUL: A NATO soldier is among 57 people -- most of them militants -- killed in new attacks, air strikes and clashes in an intensifying insurgency in Afghanistan, authorities said Wednesday.
Afghan and international security forces, who have stepped up operations ahead of August 20 elections, meanwhile destroyed Taliban heroin labs that bankroll the insurgents, the NATO-led force announced.
The International Security Assistance Force soldier was killed in a "hostile incident" in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the 40-nation ISAF said in a statement that did not give the nationality of the trooper.
The US military said meanwhile it had killed a Taliban commander with reported links to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and up to 16 militants with him in a precision air strike in the west on Tuesday.
The strike was called in against Mullah Mustafa, who commanded about 100 men, as he travelled in the western province of Ghor, it said in a statement.
"Determining no civilians would be endangered, forces used precision aerial munitions to strike the group, killing Mustafa and as many as 16 other associated militants," it said.
Afghan officials however said they had reports that civilians, including children, were killed. They also could not confirm the targeted commander was among the dead.
The US statement said the commander "had recently met with senior Taliban leaders, and reportedly had connections to Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps -- Quds Force."
Western officials have said Tehran may be involved in the conflict in Afghanistan, where thousands of US troops are based, perhaps by supplying weapons to the Taliban or allowing them to transit through Iran.
An Afghan police chief announced meanwhile that security forces had killed 30 Taliban militants over the past three days in an operation to clear extremists from the troubled southern province of Uruzgan ahead of the polls.
Afghan and international security forces, who have stepped up operations ahead of August 20 elections, meanwhile destroyed Taliban heroin labs that bankroll the insurgents, the NATO-led force announced.
The International Security Assistance Force soldier was killed in a "hostile incident" in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the 40-nation ISAF said in a statement that did not give the nationality of the trooper.
The US military said meanwhile it had killed a Taliban commander with reported links to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and up to 16 militants with him in a precision air strike in the west on Tuesday.
The strike was called in against Mullah Mustafa, who commanded about 100 men, as he travelled in the western province of Ghor, it said in a statement.
"Determining no civilians would be endangered, forces used precision aerial munitions to strike the group, killing Mustafa and as many as 16 other associated militants," it said.
Afghan officials however said they had reports that civilians, including children, were killed. They also could not confirm the targeted commander was among the dead.
The US statement said the commander "had recently met with senior Taliban leaders, and reportedly had connections to Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps -- Quds Force."
Western officials have said Tehran may be involved in the conflict in Afghanistan, where thousands of US troops are based, perhaps by supplying weapons to the Taliban or allowing them to transit through Iran.
An Afghan police chief announced meanwhile that security forces had killed 30 Taliban militants over the past three days in an operation to clear extremists from the troubled southern province of Uruzgan ahead of the polls.
Peshawar hotel blast: relief activities end
| PESHAWAR: The relief activities have been completed on the third day of the blast that wreaked havoc at a five-star hotel causing several casualties on Tuesday night. District Coordination Officer Sahibzada Mohammad Anees officially confirmed the killings of at least nine people and injuries to 52 others in the blast. The blast severely damaged the hotel building, causing various rooms to cave in. The district government and the army jawans took part in the relief efforts, after which the rubble was removed on the third day and the relief activities came to end. Talking to Geo News, DCO Peshawar said he has the confirmation of nine deaths, adding the NWFP government will give recompense to the bereaved families. He said the management of all the hospitals have been contacted in this connection to set the list of deceased and the injured people. Meantime, Edhi sources said they transported bodies of 12 people from the hotel. |
|
Qatar to invest $1b in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Investment, Senator Waqar Ahmed Khan said the government provided the best opportunities for the investment in collaboration with the government and private sectors.
Talking to Sheikh Khalid Bin Thani Al Thani, a noted entrepreneur and member of the royal family of Qatar, the senator Waqar apprised him of the investment opportunities in oil and gas search, housing and agriculture sectors.
Waqar said the government is providing the investors with the privileges, which Qatari investors should take benefit from by investing here.
The head of Qatari delegation said their country will invest one billion dollars in real estate sector and cement plant construction in Pakistan.
Talking to Sheikh Khalid Bin Thani Al Thani, a noted entrepreneur and member of the royal family of Qatar, the senator Waqar apprised him of the investment opportunities in oil and gas search, housing and agriculture sectors.
Waqar said the government is providing the investors with the privileges, which Qatari investors should take benefit from by investing here.
The head of Qatari delegation said their country will invest one billion dollars in real estate sector and cement plant construction in Pakistan.
Forty Taliban killed in Afghan operations: officials
HEART: Security forces killed more than 40 Taliban rebels in operations in western Afghanistan, officials said Thursday, as sweeps continued of militant hotspots ahead of August elections.
Twenty-five Taliban were killed on Wednesday in the troubled northwestern Badghis province, on the border with Turkmenistan, in an operation that involved Afghan security forces and NATO troops, the military said.
Another 10 were wounded, said Afghan army spokesman for the western region, Abdul Basir Ghori.
"The operation will continue until the end of elections and also until the ring road from Faryab to Herat is completed," he said, referring to a road between two centres in the west.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said a "significant number of insurgents" were killed and wounded in the sweep involving Italian and Afghan soldiers in the Bala Murghab area.
Two helicopters were struck by insurgent gunfire but no security forces were hurt, it said.
In the southwestern province of Farah Wednesday, Afghan security forces killed 16 militants including a man who appeared to be an Arab commander, a deputy provincial governor said.
The fighting was in Bala Buluk district, where US air strikes on militants struck compounds last month. Kabul says 140 civilians were killed then; the US military says 20-30 died.
The Taliban proxy deputy governor for the province, named Mullah Nik Mohammad, was among the dead, Farah deputy governor Mohammad Younus Rasouli told a foreign news agency.
Among the corpses was an Arab citizen who had apparently commanded the group of militants and was teaching them to carry out remote-controlled bombings and suicide attacks, he said.
There was no way to independently confirm the information.
Unrest linked to an insurgency led by the Taliban, who were in government between 1996 and 2001, has surged in recent weeks and thousands of US military reinforcements are deploying into the south to tackle the violence.
The increase is in part because of numerous military operations aimed at securing August 20 presidential and provincial council elections.
Twenty-five Taliban were killed on Wednesday in the troubled northwestern Badghis province, on the border with Turkmenistan, in an operation that involved Afghan security forces and NATO troops, the military said.
Another 10 were wounded, said Afghan army spokesman for the western region, Abdul Basir Ghori.
"The operation will continue until the end of elections and also until the ring road from Faryab to Herat is completed," he said, referring to a road between two centres in the west.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said a "significant number of insurgents" were killed and wounded in the sweep involving Italian and Afghan soldiers in the Bala Murghab area.
Two helicopters were struck by insurgent gunfire but no security forces were hurt, it said.
In the southwestern province of Farah Wednesday, Afghan security forces killed 16 militants including a man who appeared to be an Arab commander, a deputy provincial governor said.
The fighting was in Bala Buluk district, where US air strikes on militants struck compounds last month. Kabul says 140 civilians were killed then; the US military says 20-30 died.
The Taliban proxy deputy governor for the province, named Mullah Nik Mohammad, was among the dead, Farah deputy governor Mohammad Younus Rasouli told a foreign news agency.
Among the corpses was an Arab citizen who had apparently commanded the group of militants and was teaching them to carry out remote-controlled bombings and suicide attacks, he said.
There was no way to independently confirm the information.
Unrest linked to an insurgency led by the Taliban, who were in government between 1996 and 2001, has surged in recent weeks and thousands of US military reinforcements are deploying into the south to tackle the violence.
The increase is in part because of numerous military operations aimed at securing August 20 presidential and provincial council elections.
Razzaq flies London to partake World T20
LONDON: The stunning all-rounder of Pakistan cricket team Abdul Razzaq early on Friday departed to London from Lahore airport to participate in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup replacing unfit all-rounder Yasir Arafat, Geo news reported.
Talking to media persons at Allama Iqbal airport before departure, Razzaq said, “I will make all-out efforts, giving hundred percent, to hand Pakistan World T20 cup”.
His chances of inclusion in national team to play against Sri Lanka today are bleak, sources said.
Iran begins voting in 10th presidential election
TEHRAN: Iran began voting on Friday for a new president after a fiery campaign, which has seen moderate ex-premier Mir Hossein Mousavi emerge as the main challenger to incumbent hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"Polling started nationwide at 8:00 am (0330GMT). It is on schedule. It is going to last until 6:00 pm (1330 GMT)," the interior ministry, which is in charge of organising the election, said in a statement. Polls, however, may remain open until midnight depending on turnout among the 46-million-strong electorate. Results are expected within 24 hours after voting ends.
The country's 10th presidential election since the 1979 revolution is a close two-horse race with passions running high after three weeks of mass rallies, stormy television debates and vicious mudslinging.
While Ahmadinejad, 52, is battling for a second four-year term in office, Mousavi, 67, is seeking to make a comeback after two decades in the political wilderness. The election campaign turned a spotlight on deep differences within the Islamic republic after four years under Ahmadinejad. His hardline rhetoric on the nuclear standoff and against Israel has isolated the country from the West, and his expansionist economic policies have come under fire at home. The campaign also highlighted the glaring internal divide, with towns and villages passionately backing Ahmadinejad and young men and women in big cities throwing their weight behind Mousavi.
Analysts have been reluctant to forecast a winner, suggesting the vote may mirror 2005 when the relatively unknown Ahmadinejad scored a stunning upset in a second-round runoff against heavyweight cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. The 2009 campaign has been marked by street demonstrations and unprecedented public animosity among the candidates who traded insults and allegations of lying and corruption on prime-time television, ratcheting up the tension.
At a final campaign rally on Wednesday, Ahmadinejad, who has frequently described the Holocaust as a myth, accused his rivals of using "tactics like Hitler" to whip up public opinion against him, the Fars news agency said On the streets, Iranians also used the occasion to turn political rallies into night-time parties in a country that has had little to offer in terms of nightlife during three decades of conservative clerical rule.
Standing for election alongside Ahmadinejad and Mousavi -- but also running far behind -- are reformist former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi and the ex-head of the elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, Mohsen Rezai. Mousavi has pledged to work to improve relations with the outside world, although there are doubts nuclear policy would change as all strategic decisions are taken by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The election comes after new US President Barack Obama offered dialogue with Iran -- dubbed part of the "axis of evil" by his predecessor George W. Bush -- following three decades of severed ties.
Mousavi has complained that Ahmadinejad's foreign policy "undermined the dignity of Iran," and along with his fellow challengers accused the president of mismanaging the economy.
Iran, OPEC's second biggest oil exporter, is currently battling rampant inflation of 24 percent and a slump in earnings from crude oil as international prices have sunk from close to 147 dollars last year to around 72 dollars.
The elite Revolutionary Guards -- seen to be backing Ahmadinejad -- even accused Mousavi supporters of trying to spark a "velvet revolution" by taking to the streets in their thousands dressed in green, his campaign colour.
If blacksmith's son and former Tehran mayor Ahmadinejad is defeated, it will be the first time a sitting president has been ousted after a single term. A runoff will be held on June 19, if no single candidate emerges with 50 percent plus one vote on Friday.
"Polling started nationwide at 8:00 am (0330GMT). It is on schedule. It is going to last until 6:00 pm (1330 GMT)," the interior ministry, which is in charge of organising the election, said in a statement. Polls, however, may remain open until midnight depending on turnout among the 46-million-strong electorate. Results are expected within 24 hours after voting ends.
The country's 10th presidential election since the 1979 revolution is a close two-horse race with passions running high after three weeks of mass rallies, stormy television debates and vicious mudslinging.
While Ahmadinejad, 52, is battling for a second four-year term in office, Mousavi, 67, is seeking to make a comeback after two decades in the political wilderness. The election campaign turned a spotlight on deep differences within the Islamic republic after four years under Ahmadinejad. His hardline rhetoric on the nuclear standoff and against Israel has isolated the country from the West, and his expansionist economic policies have come under fire at home. The campaign also highlighted the glaring internal divide, with towns and villages passionately backing Ahmadinejad and young men and women in big cities throwing their weight behind Mousavi.
Analysts have been reluctant to forecast a winner, suggesting the vote may mirror 2005 when the relatively unknown Ahmadinejad scored a stunning upset in a second-round runoff against heavyweight cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. The 2009 campaign has been marked by street demonstrations and unprecedented public animosity among the candidates who traded insults and allegations of lying and corruption on prime-time television, ratcheting up the tension.
At a final campaign rally on Wednesday, Ahmadinejad, who has frequently described the Holocaust as a myth, accused his rivals of using "tactics like Hitler" to whip up public opinion against him, the Fars news agency said On the streets, Iranians also used the occasion to turn political rallies into night-time parties in a country that has had little to offer in terms of nightlife during three decades of conservative clerical rule.
Standing for election alongside Ahmadinejad and Mousavi -- but also running far behind -- are reformist former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi and the ex-head of the elite Revolutionary Guards Corps, Mohsen Rezai. Mousavi has pledged to work to improve relations with the outside world, although there are doubts nuclear policy would change as all strategic decisions are taken by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The election comes after new US President Barack Obama offered dialogue with Iran -- dubbed part of the "axis of evil" by his predecessor George W. Bush -- following three decades of severed ties.
Mousavi has complained that Ahmadinejad's foreign policy "undermined the dignity of Iran," and along with his fellow challengers accused the president of mismanaging the economy.
Iran, OPEC's second biggest oil exporter, is currently battling rampant inflation of 24 percent and a slump in earnings from crude oil as international prices have sunk from close to 147 dollars last year to around 72 dollars.
The elite Revolutionary Guards -- seen to be backing Ahmadinejad -- even accused Mousavi supporters of trying to spark a "velvet revolution" by taking to the streets in their thousands dressed in green, his campaign colour.
If blacksmith's son and former Tehran mayor Ahmadinejad is defeated, it will be the first time a sitting president has been ousted after a single term. A runoff will be held on June 19, if no single candidate emerges with 50 percent plus one vote on Friday.
Dr Sarfraz among 5 martyred in Lahore blast
LAHORE: At least five people including Jamia Naeemia principal Dr Sarfraz Naeemi were martyred and eight others injured in a suicide blast at Jamia Naeemia situated in Garhi Shahu area of Lahore, Geo News reported Friday.
The blast occurred after the Friday prayers when the people were making their way out of the mosque after offering the Friday prayers. A lot of people were present in the mosque at the time of blast.
Jamia Naeemia principal Dr Sarfraz Naeemi was present at his office at the Jamia Naeemia at the time of blast, the eyewitnesses said adding he was meeting with the people and students at his office; in the meantime, the suicide bomber blew himself up.
The blast was so powerful that the outer walls of the Jamia Naeemia Masjid collapsed and he nearby buildings were harmed in the blast.
The injured Maulana Naeemi was rushed to the hospital; however, he succumbed to the injuries on the way to the hospital.
The deceased include his close associate Dr Khalilur Rehman.
The personnel of the security forces cordoned off the area and started the relief operation.
The injured were rushed to the Meo Hospital. Emergency has been declared in the hospitals of the Lahore.
The security forces are searching the building on the apprehension of another bomb.
DCO Lahore Sajjad Bhutta said the Maulana was provided with the proper security.
WTO chief sees no positive signs for crisis-hit world trade
Updated at: 1421 PST, Friday, June 12, 2009
PARIS: World Trade Organization head Pascal Lamy said on Friday he saw no "positive sign" for world trade, which has been battered by the global economic crisis.
PARIS: World Trade Organization head Pascal Lamy said on Friday he saw no "positive sign" for world trade, which has been battered by the global economic crisis.
Four including Dr Sarfraz martyred in Lahore blast
LAHORE: At least four people including Jamia Naeemia principal Dr Sarfraz Naeemi were martyred and several others injured in a suicide blast at Jamia Naeemia situated in Garhi Shahu area of Lahore, Geo News reported Friday.
The blast occurred after the Friday prayers when the people were making their way out of the mosque after offering the Friday prayers.
Jamia Naeemia principal Dr Sarfraz Naeemi was present at his office at th ... Full Story
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
