35 probables named for Asia cup, tour of England

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LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee has announced here on Tuesday 35 probable players for the forthcoming Asia Cup and the tour of England.

Allrounder Shahid Afridi will lead the national team in all three formats of cricket whereas former captains Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik were conditionally included in the probables list. They will be selected only after the ban on them is lifted.

Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has also been named for the probable squad.

The names were announced by chief selector Mohsin Khan at a press conference along with chairman PCB Ijaz Butt and captain Shahid Afridi.

Other probable players are: Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Aamer, Umar Gul, Mohammad Sami, Yasir Arafat, Abdul Rehman, Saeed Ajmal, Faisal Iqbal, Fawad Alam, Hasan Raza, Azeem Ghumman, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan, Yasir Hameed, Shah Zeb Hasan, Zulfiqar, Zulqarnain Haider, Khurram Manzoor, Asad Shafiq, Tanveer Ahmed, Aizaz Cheema, Aamir Sajjad, Azhar Ali, Umar Amin.

Chairman PCB said that the 17 players for the tour of England would also be selected from these players and the final team would be announced next month.

Replying to a question, he told that Mohammad Yousuf has not been considered as he retired and he may be included in the team if he comes out of his retirement.

Ijaz Butt said that the camp would probably be held in Karachi.

Shahid Afridi said that the tour of England is a difficult task and there should not be much expectations.

To a question, he replied that he has pressure but a complete player can be made after bearing pressure.

Mohsin Khan said that all the players would go through a fitness test before the final selection.

Floods kill 115 in southern China

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BEIJING: A torrent of floods caused by heavy storms have killed 115 people in southern China, with 21 people still missing as weather reports show rains beginning to subside.

Emergency rescue teams have been dispatched across southern China to help the 685,000 people evacuated as a result of the flooding, which has caused £1.53 billion in damages, a statement on the Ministry of Civil Affairs website said.

But one official said the worst may be over.

“The rain was pretty severe earlier, but now the weather is improving,” said the official surnamed Chen who answered the phone at the Hunan Water Bureau information office. Like many Chinese officials he would give only his surname.

China’s rainy season, which began this month, follows the worst drought in a century for southern China’s Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi regions.

The drought affected 61 million people, leaving millions without drinking water and 12 million acres barren since last year.

The floods hit 13 provinces, including Guangdong, Sichuan and Zhejiang, and damaged more than 80,000 homes and affected more than 10 million people, said a statement posted on the State Flood Control and Disaster Relief Headquarters website.

China’s huge land mass means severe storms can cause floods in one region, while other parts of the country can experience drought.

Iran's biggest water project launched

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Phase one of Iran’s largest water project comes on line in the southern Khuzestan province in a ceremony attended by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

According to Press TV, a provincial official said when fully implemented, the project will see potable water pumped to 21 provincial cities and towns as well as 1,200 villiages.

The project which comes with a price tag of roughly $1.3bn will see a total of 675 kilometers of pipe laid to provide 4.7 million residents with safe drinking water, the official adds.

Meanwhile, a new water plant in the provincial port city of Khorramshahr was also scheduled to enter service on

Crisis of the American Occupation of Iraq Monday, May 24, 2010

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Holding important meeting between State of Law Coalition led by premier Nouri Al-Maleki and the National Alliance led by the Supreme Islamic Assembly as well as a meeting in the presence of Iraqi president Jalal Talebani and all parties except Al-Iraqiya list have had reflections in Iraqi and regional media.

Iraqi parliament speaker Ayad As-Sameraee heading a delegation had a trip to Kuwait last week.

Several car bombs in Iraq killed and injured more than 150 Iraqis.

The admissions by some detained members of Al-Qaeda terrorist group on Saudi’s meddling in Iraqi domestic affairs once again disclosed Riyadh hostility toward Baghdad government.

Baghdad governorship in a statement rejected news on building a security wall around the capital.

And the agreement on oil exports of Kurdistan area was approved by the Iraqi cabinet.

An important meeting last week was held between the leaders of Sate of Law Coalition and the National Alliance. The meeting was aimed at reaching a common viewpoint about choosing the candidate of Iraqi premiership post. Speeding up the job of sub-committees which have been formed by the two coalitions for choosing the candidate of premiership post was another motivation for holding such a significant meeting between the leaders of these two important coalitions.

Since a couple of weeks ago the two coalitions have announced their unity but they have not yet reached an agreement of Iraqi premiership post. According to Iraqi Constitution, the country’s biggest faction is responsible for introducing a candidate for premiership. The National Alliance has so far introduced several candidates. State of Law Coalition has introduced Maleki as Iraqi prime minister. At present, the members of leaders of State of Law and National Alliance are trying to reach an agreement on introducing a single candidate.

Concurrent with the meeting between the leaders of State of Law Coalition and the National Alliance, another meeting was also held in Baghdad in which all political groups’ leaders excluding Al-Iraqiya list lead by Ayad Allawi had attended. Iraqi president Jalal Talebani hosted the meeting which was aimed at reviewing the current Iraqi situation especially speeding up the trend of forming the new government. Jalal Talebani in the meeting said that he would support all Iraqi political groups and parties and enjoys a strong relation with all political currents. Since Ayad Allawai was in a trip, he could not take part in the Baghdad meeting. But Tariq Al-Hashemi, one of the leaders of Al-Iraqiya Coalition was present. He welcomed the meeting and stressed that direct talks would remove the obstacles toward shaping a new government in Iraq.

The admissions of the detained members of Al-Qaeda terrorist group once again proved that Saudi Arabia is meddling in Iraqi domestic affairs and has a role in Iraqi violence. The detained Al-Qaeda terrorists have admitted that the former Saudi ambassador to the US, and secretary of Saudi Arabia’s National Security Council, Prince Bandar bin Soltan had been linked to the Iraqi branch of Al-Qaeda.

Meanwhile, documents about interference of Saudi Arabia in Iraq’s domestic affairs had also been gained in the past.

It goes without saying that Saudi Arabia is discontent with the current situation in Iraq. Prior to legislative election in Iraq, Saudi Arabia in a move coordinated with the US, and through spending huge sums, tried its utmost to set the stage for presence of the ousted Ba’athists and secular groups at the highest Iraqi governmental posts. But, the post-election developments and coalition of the Iraqi National Alliance and the State of Law Alliance foiled all Saudi plots. Currently, a number of Saudi circles are intent on fanning the flames of violence in Iraq, and to equip terrorist groups, including Al-Qaeda, in Iraq in a bid to distort and sabotage the current atmosphere in this country and to postpone the formation of the Iraqi government, and to take advantage of this situation in favour of their illegitimate demands.

Meanwhile, the leaders of Shiite coalitions are determined to hold talks with all political groups, even Al-Iraqiya list led by Ayad Allawi. Reinforcement of national unity and further establishment of stability and security in Iraq are currently the priorities of the Shiite, Kurd, and Sunni currents in Iraq.

Last week, violence continued in some Iraqi cities. As a result of several car bombs in Baghdad, Falluja and Ba’quba, more than 150 Iraqis were killed or injured. The number of terrorist operations in different parts of Iraq has increased in recent days. This shows that one of the motivations of terrorists in Iraq is to influence Iraqi political atmosphere. At the same time, what is obvious is the US forces’ passivity, if not complicity in the chaos, as the main occupiers of Iraq. Although, at present the control of Iraqi security has been transferred to Iraqi security forces, according to Baghdad-Washington pact, the US is still present in the country. The US forces have not so far cooperated with Iraqi forces regarding security issues. Even the current documents show that the US circles are behind violence in Iraq. The United States has always been seeking to create a suitable situation for its long-term presence in the country. The violence can be a good pretext for the US forces to stay longer in Iraq. The US officials have declared many times that their withdrawal from Iraq depends on the country’s security conditions.

Letter from CDHRAP to Amnesty International on Discrimination Against Shias

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Regarding the human rights conditions in Saudi Arabia , the committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the Arabian Peninsula (CDHRAP) respectfully urges you to raise concerns about religious freedom and related human rights.                                                                                                                                   JNN( News Agency), The chair of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the Arabian Peninsula Mr. Mohammad Abul Azeem al-Hussain sent a letter to the Amnesty International urging it to raise pressing concerns about religious freedom in Saudi Arabia and to press the Saudi Arabian authorities to release the religious prisoners in Saudi Arabia .

The complete text of the letter follows:

Dear Amnesty International ,

Regarding the human rights conditions in Saudi Arabia , the committee for the Defense of Human Rights in the Arabian Peninsula (CDHRAP) respectfully urges you to raise concerns about religious freedom and related human rights.

The Saudi government continued to commit abuses against members of the Shi’a minority.

Despite Saudi government claims undertaking some limited reform measures , the Saudi government marginalizes and systematically discriminates against the Shia community in the country through implementation the policy of discrimination , and persists in banning all forms of public religious expression other than that of the government’s own interpretation of one school of Sunni Islam and even interferes with private religious practice.

The members of the Shi’a Muslim community suffer systematic political, social, cultural as well as religious discrimination.

In this letter , I would like to draw your attention to three specific cases.

1- Munir Baqir Ebrahim Al-Jassas, 30 years , a Shi’a human rights defender in Awwamiyah of al-Qatif , was still held in solitary confinement for seven months the intelligence service in Al-Dammam .

Al-Mahbahith al-‘Amma (General Investigations) of al-Qatif summoned Munir Baqir Ebrahim Al-Jassas on November 7, 2009, and held him in solitary confinement under the charge of criticizing the ill-treatment of Saudi government against Shiites through his website “Tahara” .

Some members of al-Mahbahith al-‘Amma raided Al-Jassas’s house  and confiscated his personal possessions .

Al-Jassas has had no access to legal assistance following his arrest , and has not been kept informed of charges against him .

2-  The citizen (Reza Abdul Aziz al-Ghasham ) 23 years , from the town of al-Mobarraz in al-Ahsa , was detained on 8 June 2008 when some members of al-Mahbahith al-‘Amma raided his bookshop , arrested him under the charge of trading Shi’a religious books.

Saudi authorities called his wife and subjected her to a long investigation. His father Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Ghasham (a prominent Shiite religious scholar , Imam al-Montazar mosque in al-mobarraz town of al-Ahsa ) visited him for one time , and saw the signs of torture on his son’s body.

His family was not informed of the reasons of his arrest , also was denied family visit.

3- The Government continued to detain nine of Shi’a citizens ( Hani Abdul Rahim al-Saygh , al-Qatif / Sihat ; Abdullah Ahmad al-Jarrash , al-Qatif  / al-Qala’a ; Hussain Moghayis , al-Qatif / al-Bahari ; Abdul Karim Hussein al-Nemer  ,  al-Dammam , al-Ahsa ; Sayyid Mostafa alQassab , al-Qatif  / Mayyas ; Sayyid Fadhel al-Alawi , al-Qatif / al-Jaroudiyah ; Mustafa Ja`far al-Mo`llim , al-Qatif / al-Jaroudiyah ; Ali al-Marhoon , al-Qatif / al-Jaroudiyah ; Salih Mahdi Ramadhan ,  al-Qatif /al-Jaroudiyah ) in al-Ha’ir prison over thirteen years . They have been arrested as suspects in the aftermath of the 1996 bombing of the U.S. military installation at al-Khobar bombing without charges or trial.

The Saudi authorities actions against the mentioned detainees infringe on internationally guaranteed rights of freedom of expression and religion . Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion .

These actions breach also the Saudi Law of Criminal Procedure which its third Article stipulates that:

No penal punishment shall be imposed on any person except in connection with a forbidden and punishable act, whether under Shari’ah principles or under the statutory laws, and after he has been convicted pursuant to a final judgment rendered after a trial conducted in accordance with Shari’ah principles.

Also the Law of Interrogation Authority and Public Prosecution in Article 3 which says : Monitoring and inspection of prisons, detention centers and any places where criminal sentences are executed, as well as hearing complaints of prisoners and detainees, insuring the legality of their imprisonment or detention and the legality of their remaining in prison or the detention centers after the expiry of the period, taking necessary steps to release those imprisoned or detained without a legitimate cause and applying the law against those responsible for such action .

We urge you to press the Saudi Arabian authorities to release the remaining religious prisoners in Saudi Arabia on humanitarian grounds .

Top Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Sistani calls for "Unity"

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(JNN) News Agency, BAGHDAD — Iraq’s most influential Shiite cleric assured leaders of the Sunni-backed coalition that narrowly won the March election that no group will be excluded from the new government, representatives of the Iraqiya list said Sunday.

The 83-year-old Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani is revered by Iraq’s majority sect and carries great weight with the country’s Shiite politicians, who have dominated the Iraqi government since the U.S. invasion in 2003 that overthrew Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-dominated regime.

“Al-Sistani stressed national unity and … the importance of forming the government as soon as possible,” said Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite who heads the Iraqiya coalition.

Speaking to reporters in Najaf after the meeting, Allawi said the cleric emphasized the next government should serve the people without “excluding and marginalizing any group,” in an apparent reference to the minority Sunnis, who have felt politically sidelined since 2003.

Al-Sistani also told Iraqiya leaders that he has “no veto” on which politicians serve, said a senior Sunni politician with Iraqiya, Tareq al-Hashimi.

Allawi’s list won the March 7 vote by two seats over Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Shiite-led coalition. Neither bloc won a majority to form a government, although al-Maliki has come close by joining forces with another Shiite coalition. Allawi insists his bloc should get the first crack at forming a government.

Pakistani Shia Ulema Under Attack; Pakistani Shia Ulema: Main target of Quetta bomb explosion was Shia scholar Allama Najfi

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* 7 children, 3 women among those injured
* Shia Ulema Council says main target was Shia scholar Allama Najfi             (JNN)News Agency , Quetta, Pakistan: Two people were killed and 15 others, including women and children were injured in a bomb blast at the Quetta Airport Road.

In a statement issued soon after the blast, the Shia Ulema Council said  that the main target was renowned Shia scholar Allama Najfi who remained unhurt.

Official sources said unidentified men had planted an explosive device in a rickshaw, which was parked on the main intersection of the Airport Road. Two people including the rickshaw driver and a passenger died on the spot and 15 others, including three women and seven children who were on their way to a wedding in a passenger van were injured.

Police officer Mohammad Riaz said that it was possible that the passenger in the rickshaw, who died in the blast, was carrying the bomb, which exploded prematurely.

The bodies of the two men who were killed in the blast, as well as the injured were taken to government Sandman Hospital Quetta. Hospital sources said that three of the injured children were in a critical condition. Police and Frontier Corps rushed to the site soon after the incident and cordoned off the area.

Obama Gov't. in Serious Mishap on BP Laxity

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As the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to assume alarming proportions, US officials are trading barbs and criticizing each other for lack of efficiency to tackle the issues that has led to an environmental catastrophe.

Louisiana’s Governor Bobby Jindal blamed energy giant BP and the federal government for failing to act fast and swift enough to protect the state’s coastlines from a massive undersea oil leak. He said that the US Coast Guard and BP were slow to make decisions and delayed supplying necessary clean-up equipment even as oil washes onto the state’s fragile marshland. Jindal, whose words were echoed by a number of local officials, said he was frustrated by the slow pace, stressing that the delays were unacceptable. Oil from a blown-out BP well in the Gulf of Mexico has been gushing into the sea for over a month. Already, oil had tarred 65 miles of the Louisiana’s coast.

In fact the involved companies have shown nothing but laxity to impede the progress of oil into the marshlands; a phenomenon that puts maritime life in the jeopardy of annihilation. Experts on coastal issues including environmentalist and academics have serious doubts about the plans to contain the detrimental effects of the oil leak. The US government has warned in case that BP does not abide by its commitment it will cancel contract with this company. Oil giant BP has faced mounting pressure to control a massive oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico after the US government threatened to take over the response to the month-old disaster. US Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, said that if the government finds that BP is not doing what it is supposed to do, it will be pushed out of the way. Salazar underlined that BP is legally responsible for dealing with a ruptured pipe that has been gushing oil into the gulf from the wreckage of an offshore rig. He lashed out at BP for missing deadline after deadline as its latest attempt to cap the environmentally devastating leak was hit with further delays. The BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, killing 11 workers, and sank two days later. Ever since, hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil, if not millions, have been spewing each day into the sea. The government of Barack Obama is now under the pressure of the public that calls for putting an immediate end to this environmental catastrophe. Republicans, despite affinity with the oil circle, attacked Obama for not being able to handle the issue. Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who was governor of the oil-rich state of Alaska, accused Obama of being lax in his response to the disaster and suggested this was because he was too close to the lucrative offshore oil drilling industry.