Awaz Apni

Awaz Apni TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad survived an attack with a homemade explosive device on his motorcade during a visit to the western city of Hamadan on Wednesday, a source in his office said. The source said Ahmadinejad's convoy was targeted as he was travelling from Hamadan's airport to give a speech in a local sports arena and the president was unhurt but others had been injured in the blast. One person had been arrested, the presidency source said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. The populist, hardline Ahmadinejad has accumulated enemies in conservative and reformist circles in the Islamic Republic as well as abroad. Al Arabiya television said an attacker had thrown a bomb at Ahmadinejad's convoy before being detained. Dubai-based Al Arabiya television cited its own sources as saying the bomb had hit a car carrying journalists and presidential staff. Ahmadinejad appeared on live Iranian television at a spor...

Awaz Apni IRAN: Two explosions at a mosque in southeastern Iran have killed at least 56 people and injured more than 100 others in suicide attacks, Iranian officials say. The blasts late on Thursday targeted Shia Muslim worshippers and Revolutionary Guards members in the predominantly Sunni city of Zahedan, Sistan-Baluchestan province, the Fars news agency quoted Iran's deputy interior minister as saying. "Hours ago, a suicide operation was carried out in the Jamia mosque, which left several martyrs and several wounded," the agency quoted Ali Abdollahi as saying. "The first explosion took place behind a checkpoint and a number of Revolutionary Guard members were killed and injured because of it." 'Co-ordinated attacks' Hossein Ali Shahriari, a Zahedan member of parliament, told Fars that there were two suicide attacks one after another, with the first one carried out by a bomber dressed as a woman. "The attacker, dressed in women's c...

Awaz Apni TEHRAN - At least 56 people, including members of the elite Revolutionary Guards, were killed and 100 wounded in suicide attack at a Shiite mosque in the southeast Iranian city of Zahedan on Thursday, Iranian media reported. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the two suicide bombings in front of Zahedan's Grand Mosque, although a lawmaker said he believed the Sunni rebel group Jundollah was behind the attack. "In the two explosions in Zahedan more than 40 people were killed and over 100 were injured," Fariborz Rashedi, head of the emergency unit at Sistan-Baluchestan province told IRNA. It later quoted Zahedan prosecutor Mohammad Marzieh as saying that 21 people had died. Iran's deputy Interior Minister said "a number of Iran's Revolutionary Guards were killed and injured", the semi-official Fars news agency reported. Zahedan's MP Hoseinali Shahriari told Fars that he believed Sunni rebel group Jundollah was ...

ASPEN: Admiral Mike Mullen said Monday he believes Iran will continue to pursue nuclear weapons, even if sanctions against the country are increased. Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said it would be "incredibly dangerous" for Iran to achieve nuclear weapons, and that there's "no reason to trust" Iran's assurances that it is only pursuing a peaceful nuclear program, especially after the discovery of the secret nuclear facility in Qom. But he said a military strike against Iran would be "incredibly destabilizing" to the region, and that he believed US ally Israel understands that. The admiral was responding to questions about whether he shared the assessment of CIA Director Leon Panetta, who said on Sunday that Iran likely has enough nuclear material to make two weapons, but is at least a year away from being able to carry that out. Mullen has just returned from a multination tour tha...

Awaz Apni ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that Pakistan attaches great importance to its brotherly relations with Iran which are rooted in common history, culture, geography and faith. The Prime Minister expressed these views while talking to Iranian Minister for Energy Parviz Fattah, who called on him here at the Prime Minister House on Monday. Talking about the regional situation, the Prime Minister reiterated Pakistan's stance of not allowing its soil to be used against other countries for any terrorist activities. He said Pakistan always strived for peaceful co-existence with all its neighbours and expected the same from them as well. He further said that sincere global efforts are required to confront collectively the scourge of terrorism instead of blaming Pakistan which has made immense sacrifices in this war. Expressing satisfaction over the bilateral relations between the two countries, the Prime Minister underscored the need for further promoti...

CNews TEHRAN: Iran on Sunday hanged 29 men convicted of offences including drug trafficking, murder and rape in the largest mass execution in years as the country says it is fighting increasing crime. The hangings were carried out inside the notorious Tehran's Evin prison at 5:10 am (0040 GMT), the state broadcaster said. Those executed on Sunday had records of repeated crimes including rape, murder with torture and armed robbery, the report said. It also listed charges including drug trafficking, drinking alcohol and possessing ammunition. Capital offences in the Islamic republic include murder, rape, armed robbery, drug trafficking and adultery. Human rights groups have accused Iran of making excessive use of the death penalty, but Tehran insists it is an effective deterrent carried out only after an exhaustive judicial process. The state broadcaster said the latest death sentences were approved by the Tehran revolutionary court and high judicial authorities. On Saturday the pres...

CNews TEHERAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is planning to make his first visit to Iraq within the next two months, the foreign minister said on Monday. "The trip has become definitive and he will go on this trip by the end of the year," Manouchehr Mottaki told reporters, referring to the Iranian year which ends on March 20. Last week, Baghdad said Ahmadinejad has accepted an invitation from President Jalal Talabani to visit Iraq but no date had been fixed.

No body allowed to sabotage electoral process in country: MusharrafISLAMABAD: Reiterating the government resolve to ensure free, fair and transparent elections across the country including Swat, president Pervez Musharraf said that no body would be allowed to sabotage electoral process. He was chairing a high-level meeting here. Caretaker Prime Minister Muhammadmian Soomro, Chief of Army Staff General Ishfaq Kiani, Governor NWFP Ali Jan Orakzai, Chief Minister NWFP Shamsul Mulk, Interior Minister Hamid Nwaz, Law .... U.S. forces kill Al Qaeda leader, three children in IraqBAGHDAD: The U.S. military announced Wednesday that an insurgent killed last month had been identified as a senior leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.Separately, a bomb explosion in the northern province of Ninevah killed three children and wounded another two, the U.S. military said, quoting Iraqi police.Abu Abdullah, also known as Muhammad Sulayman Shunaythir al-Zubai, was killed north of Baghdad on Nov. 8, the military sai...

Benazir, Nawaz Sharif dabbling in dodging politics: Sheikh Rashid ISLAMABAD: Former Federal Minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad has said that Benazir and Nawaz Sharif were engaged in dodging politics.Talking to Geo News, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said that Muslim League-N was under pressure to contest elections, as they have a vote bank, but the leadership was not deciding. He said that it gets difficult for the candidates to remain sitting at home, when the election bugle sounds off.Regarding Jamaat-e-Islami, Sheikh Rashid said that it didn’t have vote bank as much, but it was a strong organization, however they could not win the election under only one umbrella.He further said that he didn’t consider any existence of the APDM, which has only three major parties, while the rest were ‘Tanga’ (carriage) parties. EC asks parties to appear on Dec 9 for symbols allocation (Updated at 1340) ISLAMABAD: With two of Muttahida Majlas-e-Aml parties already applied for election symbols individually, the Ele...

Soomro to take oath as caretaker PM today (Posted at 0610) ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly of Pakistan has been dissolved on the expiration of its term of five years. President General Pervez Musharraf has appointed Senate Chairman Mohammadmian Soomro as caretaker prime minister. Soomro takes oath under the Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) today (Friday). President General Pervez Musharraf will administer the oath. The president will administer the oath to caretaker prime minister today at 10:00 am. President Musharraf announced his decision at a dinner he hosted in honour of the outgoing Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and his cabinet here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr on Thursday. Among various members of caretaker cabinet, Senator Nisar Memon would be sworn in as information minister, Senator Dilawar Abbas as petroleum minister, Dr. Salman Shah as minister of finance, Lt. Gen (Rtd) Hamid Nawaz minister of interior, former secretary defence Saleem Abbas Gillani as minister of defence, former...

CNews TEHRAN: Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged Arab nations on Saturday to boycott a Middle East peace meeting in the United States. "The United States took the initiative for this meeting to save the Zionist regime (Israel), which received a beating at the hands of Hezbollah," during the war last year, Khamenei told a crowd of hundreds of thousands at Iran's Grand Mosque. "Every conference that has been organised in the name of peace has harmed the Palestinians," he said, in a speech to mark Iran's celebration of the Eid al-Fitr holiday that follows the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. "As the Palestinians themselves are not participating in this conference, how can the others (Arab states) do so," he asked, as the crowds chanted slogans against America and Israel.

CNews TEHRAN: Iran and Pakistan have agreed to periodic revision of gas prices as part of a pipeline deal to carry Iranian gas via Pakistan to India, an Iranian news agency said on Tuesday, quoting the local export company. "The two parties have agreed that each side submit its demands for gas price revision to the other side every three years, taking into account the situation on the international market," said a statement from the National Society for Gas Exports from Iran. The two countries have also agreed on other terms, particularly dealing with "situations of force majeure and the law governing the agreement." According to the statement quoted by the news agency, the Indian side -- opposed to a price review system -- may take part in future talks. Late in September, Hojatollah Ganimifard, Iran's deputy minister in charge of the project said Iran and Pakistan had reached an agreement, in the absence of India, on the pipeline. He added that the two countrie...

CNews TEHRAN: Iran and Pakistan have agreed to periodic revision of gas prices as part of a pipeline deal to carry Iranian gas via Pakistan to India, an Iranian news agency said on Tuesday, quoting the local export company. "The two parties have agreed that each side submit its demands for gas price revision to the other side every three years, taking into account the situation on the international market," said a statement from the National Society for Gas Exports from Iran. The two countries have also agreed on other terms, particularly dealing with "situations of force majeure and the law governing the agreement." According to the statement quoted by the news agency, the Indian side -- opposed to a price review system -- may take part in future talks. Late in September, Hojatollah Ganimifard, Iran's deputy minister in charge of the project said Iran and Pakistan had reached an agreement, in the absence of India, on the pipeline. He added that the two countrie...