26 Apr 2010 | Index Index, minipost
A video released last week demands a Taliban leader be set free in exchange for the safety of Asad Qureshi, a British journalist ,and two retired ISI officers. The missing men left for the North Waziristan region at the end of March. A second video featuring one of the captured the ex-ISI officers, Colonel Khalid Khawaja, was also sent to Asia Times Online. In it, Khawaja details his involvement in negotiations between militants and the army, as well as his part in the arrest of Muhammad Abdul Aziz during the Siege of Lal Masjid in 2007.
26 Apr 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
The Indian Government is to respond to the serious charges of having tapped the telephone conversations of four leading politicians, including the chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Lalit Modi, since 2007. The government began an investigation of Mr Modi and the IPL last week after allegations of tax evasion, money laundering, kickbacks, match fixing and illegal betting in cricket’s competition. Many prominent Indian figures have been implicated in the scandal, which led to the resignation of Shashi Taroor, a junior minister and former UN under-secretary-general, and the suspension of Modi from public assignments.
26 Apr 2010 | Index Index, minipost, Uncategorized
Tibetan writer Zhogs Dung was arrested by Chinese police on Friday report Tibetan sources. Although officials have declined to comment on his detainment, it is assumed that his arrest was related to open letter he signed with other Tibetan intellectuals criticising the government’s relief effort after the Qinghai earthquake. The letter first published on the Tibetan website www.sangdhor.com (temporarily defunct) states that “news from the mouthpiece for the party organisations can not be believed” and also reminds people to not send donations directly to government organisations due to corruption. The Oslo-based Voice of Tibet radio station reports that its transmissions in China have been jammed for two days, despite the fact that the majority of its broadcasts have been messages of condolence from exiled Tibetans.
26 Apr 2010 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost, Uncategorized
The editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper al-Shahid, Saad al-Aossi, was abducted on 14 April. Armed men invaded his home, confiscated his computer and took him to an unknown location. There have been local reports that the men were from the police and the military, though Baghdad Operations Command issued a statement denying any involvement in his disappearance. His kidnapping came six days after he wrote an article condemning Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a lack of transparency.
