UAE set to suspend Blackberry service from October 11

The UAE’s telecoms regulator has announced that BlackBerry services in the country will be suspended from 11 October this year.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) said that the suspension was due to the failure of ongoing attempts since 2007 to bring BlackBerry services in the country in line with local regulations.

With no solution available and in the public interest, in order to affect resolution of this issue, as of October 11, 2010, Blackberry Messenger, Blackberry Email and Blackberry Web-browsing services will be suspended until an acceptable solution can be developed and applied," said TRA director general Mohamed Al Ghanim.

"The TRA notes that Blackberry appears to be compliant in similar regulatory environments of other countries, which makes non-compliance in the UAE both disappointing and of great concern."

BlackBerry devices, introduced in the UAE in 2006, allow users to send messages that can’t be monitored as allowed for under the country’s 2007 Safety, Emergency and National Security rules, the regulator said last week.

Although such communications should fall under the remit of that law, technical encryption allowed them to avoid monitoring, it said Sunday.

Telcos Etisalat and du were informed of the TRA’s decision on Sunday. They were also instructed to ensure minimal consumer disruption in the provision of alternative services.

America’s duplicity

The US seems to be caught in a web of lies it had constructed for this region. It is desperate to get out of Afghanistan and is, at the same time, trying to evolve a strategy for a face saving exit.

The Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, is not a crafty diplomat like some of the officials in the State Department. Mr Mullen has, therefore, issued statements that not only contradict each other, but also send confusing signals all around. While talking to Times Now in India, Admiral Mullen said that if ever there was a conflict between India and China that also involved Pakistan, the US would support India.

However on his visit to Pakistan, the US commander appreciated the efforts of the Pakistani government and its military in the war against terror. Yet in the same breath, the Admiral maintained that although he had come to Pakistan for the 19th time still there was an element in the ISI that he had failed to understand.
Mr Mullen, like Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “predicted” that if another Mumbai style terrorist attack was mounted on India, it could have “serious consequences” for Pakistan. That means that the Indian or USA’s secret agencies could manage such an attack and then blame Pakistan for it, just as it was done when Samjhota Express was attacked with Indian connivance.

Certainly, it is not difficult to recruit and train mercenaries who do some mischief on the command of secret agencies and then pin the blame on Pakistan. Although it may seem a far-fetched idea for some, yet when countries play dirty games any-thing is possible and it would be foolish to rule out such a scenario.

The Americans, who once had cosy relations with both the Haqqani network and the Laskar-i-Taiba (LeT), are now wary of both these outfits. They want Pakistan to expand its military operation to North Waziristan and also go whole hog after LeT. But as the Pakistanis are already stretched to the maximum at present and it may not be possible for the army to expand its military operations. The US is using every tactic it possesses to virtually force Pakistan into a situation that suits the interest of both New Delhi and Washington.
Further, Mullen says that negotiations in Afghanistan will commence only when the US has achieved its objectives that allow it to dictate from a position of strength.

Then the US, despite being aware about the situation in Kashmir and the expanding acts of subversion in Balochistan due to Indian involvement, is not prepared to play any well defined role that is within their sphere of influence. The Obama administration must recognise the fact that attempts to destabilise the government in Pakistan will not help anyone. No government worth its name can afford to barter the vital national interests of the country.

Moreover, if the US administration is serious about having a stable Afghanistan then they must demonstrate it with their actions. They must also improve their relations with Iran. Besides this, they must nudge India to “do more” to restore normal relations with Pakistan. The first indication should come from the Indian side, as it must stop meddling in Balochistan. Better still, Washington undertakes some bold new initiatives that result in the resolving of the sore water dispute between Pakistan and India.

Finally, if the war against terrorism is to be won by the international community then it must play a positive and constructive role which leads to a negotiated settlement of the Kashmir issue. Otherwise, the menace of terrorism will not easily go away; however, conversely, it could lead to a major con-flict with a real prospect of the entire world being sucked into that disastrous confrontation.

At present, the US is not willing to help Pakistan stabilise its economy that has suffered losses of more than $43 billion on account of the war on terror. In addition, Pakistan’s request for weapons that are essential to combat with the growing insurgency over the vast tracts of mountainous land have largely remained unfulfilled by the US policy-makers. Hence, it is time the US stopped playing double game and come out straight with its so-called non-NATO ally – Pakistan. The Obama administration must remember that by appeasing the Indian government, they will not be able to achieve their objectives in Afghanistan, what to talk of this country.

The US needs to understand that deeds speak louder than words and if Washington continues with its present policy of too little too late, it will only harvest grief at the end of the day. It should indeed contain the role of the Indians to only reconstruction in Afghanistan, besides closing the training camps that are being managed by the Indian security officials in the war torn country. The US must also sever the links of India’s intelligence agency, RAW, with the Afghan drug warlords because it is an equally serious menace for the peace and stability of Afghanistan.

It could, therefore, be safely presumed that in case the Americans changed course in their present policy for this region, better results can be expected to emerge that will in turn benefit the entire region. In case the present policy of double talk continues no fruitful results will come out of the present mess. Nevertheless, it is in the interest of the American people that they get out of the quagmire they are in and that can only be done if their leadership pursues an even-handed policy in the region.

As far as Pakistan is concerned, it must try to restore the trust of all the stakeholders in the Afghan imbroglio. Everyone must aspire to protect the vital interests of the people of Afghanistan; otherwise the prospect of an everlasting peace in the region will only be a dream and nothing more.

Written by :

Moin Ansari

For www.dailypk.com

Letter from Barrister Mansoor Sarwar Khan.

Dear Countrymen,

Assalam O Alaikum,
In the footsteps of real great leaders, we hear the rolling thunder of history, voices of determination to change the lives of human societies. An unflinching faith in his people, his creator, his character and uncompromising honesty is the hallmark of Right Honjorable Imran Khan. You my brothers and sisters have the courage to stand up erect in the adversities, exercise grace and solidarity under extreme pressure. This is what you have shown in the last 14 years and now your time is around the corner. There is only one thing worse than being wrong and that is being dull, sometimes i am being forced to wonder whether the great originals likie Jinnah, Gandhi, Bismarck, De Gaulle and Churchill would have acted and survived any better than Imran Khan. The truth talking leaders have to cross the desert, they have to walk their green miles in life. Let me seek your help to change Pakistan, we need your signatures in millions to present in the supreme court in support of my writ petition to prepare the electoral voting lists through drafting the services of NADRA. Please help me and my leader. If we do it PTI will change, Pakistan will change and Imran Khan with your support will work wonders of progress to help Pakistan make a quantam leap. That 500 years down the line when the dust would have settled on our graves, Pakistan would remember these times as the time of PTI as today we remember the times of Caliphs Rashidun or times of Elizabeth the 1st. I have faith you can do it, we have faith, we can. Yes we can achieve our aims and we should. Life is 99 rounds, he who stands at the end is the winner , as Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) once said May God shed all his blessings on thee and thy being and well being.

Thankyou.

Barrister Mansoor Srawar Khan
CEC

Agriculture Spokesman PTI Punjab

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: list of Iranian President's 'dislikes'

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the President of Iran, is well known for his outlandish actions and thoughts. Here is a list of some of his, and his government's, more quirky "dislikes".

Paul the Octopus: During a speech at the weekend Mr Ahmadinejad said the sea creature, which correctly predicted the outcome of World Cup games, was a symbol of all that is wrong with the western world.

Ties: Earlier this month, the president, who never wears a tie in public, went on record as saying that no religious leader has banned the tie, which since the 1979 Islamic revolution has been regarded as a symbol of Western culture.

Bad hair: In an attempt to rid the country of "decadent Western cuts", Iran's culture ministry this month produced a catalogue of haircuts that meet government approval with ponytails out but side-partings and Elvis quiffs acceptable.

'Badly veiled' women: Last month Iranian police issued warnings to 62,000 women who were "badly veiled" in the Shiite holy province of Qom as part of a crackdown on dress and behaviour.

'Overpaid' actors: Last November Iran's Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry threatened a tax crackdown on actors, after it was found that Mohammad Reza Golzar, one of the country's most revered stars, was paid £55,000 for three days work for playing an angel in the film Democracy in Bright Daylight.

The internet: In November 2008 Iran blocked access to more than five million internet sites, whose content was mostly perceived by Abdolsamad Khoram Abadi, an adviser to Iran's prosecutor general, as immoral and anti-social.

Twitter: Last year the Revolutionary Guard, an elite Iranian military force, ordered people to remove all material that could "create tension" from Twitter or face legal action.

Facebook: Last May Iran blocked the use of the popular social networking site in a move critics claimed was an attempt to muzzle the opposition ahead of the June election.

'Immoral' writers: Mohammad Hossein Safar Harandi, Iran's culture minister, warned writers against publishing graphic descriptions of relationships or sex, citing the system's "religious, moral and national" sensitivities. All publications in Iran must be approved by the ministry of culture and Islamic guidance. Publishers have complained of tighter censorship under Mr Ahmadinejad's

Sachin Tendulkar £49k book features page made with sample of cricketer's blood

Wealthy fans who fork out for cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar's new biography will find it a bloody good read.

The £49,000 Tendulkar Opus features a red signature page made of a sample of the Indian star's blood mixed with paper resin - which he says is "mind blowing".

The book, of which only 10 pre-ordered copies have been made, weighs in at 80lb and features more than 1,500 pictures from his 30,000-run career.

Each of the 852 pages is edged in gold including a gatefold which unravels to show the 37-year-old batsman's DNA profile taken from a saliva sample.

Publisher Karl Fowler said: "What you'll be looking at is his genetic makeup. Some may think it's weird but to millions he is a religious icon."

More copies of the book - minus the blood - will also go on sale at £1,500.

Nicolas Sarkozy orders Air Sarko One plane

Nicolas Sarkozy's dream of having his own presidential jet to rival America's Air Force One are about to come true with "Air Sarko One", a £150 million aircraft complete with bedroom, air filter system so he can smoke cigars, and a shower.

The specially upholstered Airbus A330-200, has just been taken on its first test flight in Bordeaux, southwestern France, with all internal fittings due for completion by October.

The plane will also include a 12-man meeting room, 60 business class seats, top-grade encrypted communications systems, a reinforced fuselage and missile decoy system.

A fleet of smaller jets is also to replace the current Falcon 50 and 900 models at ministers' disposal. This includes two Falcon 7Xs, models often favoured by the world's jet set.

Presidential air force officials have dubbed it "Air Carla One" after his ex-supermodel wife.

The French leader is understood to have long envied the luxurious conditions in which Barack Obama, the US President flies across the world in his Boeing 747-200B, and has complained that his two smaller Airbus A319s lacked the necessary presidential stature.

"Air Sarko One" as the plane has been dubbed, will have a wingspan a good two feet longer than the US model.

It has also been claimed that Mr Sarkozy had wanted a full-sized presidential bathtub on the plane but he was told that it could prove a problem as under heavy turbulence the bathwater may overflow and seep into the air craft at the risk of sparking short circuits.

The president was told he would have to settle for a flood-proof hip bath, according to Le Canard Enchaîné, a claim the government denies.

But Mr Sarkozy's €176 million (£147 million) purchase and refit of the jet from tourist airline Air Caraïbes has raised eyebrows as the winds of austerity blow through Europe and other leaders are reining in their perks.

David Cameron has made great play of his decision to travel on commercial flights as part of the Government's austerity drive.

Tony Blair's plans to purchase two private jets, immediately dubbed "Blair Force One," at a cost to the taxpayer of £100 million, were scrapped by Gordon Brown soon after he came to power.

Mr Sarkozy has come under criticism for the new plane weeks after ordering ministers to cut spending and following a string of embarrassing expenses scandals.

Earlier this month, Alain Joyandet, secretary of state for overseas development stood down amid reports he had hired a private jet at a cost of €116,500 to fly to the Caribbean.

Then Christian Blanc, state secretary for the Greater Paris region was forced to resign after it emerged that he had spent €12,000 on Cuban cigars at the taxpayer's expense.

Mr Sarkozy's government yesterday rebutted claims that the new presidential plane was an extravagance.

Luc Chatel, the government spokesman, said: "There is nothing ostentatious, simply a desire to have equipment fitting for the world's fifth power".

He has argued that the cost of new presidential jet will be offset by the sale of two smaller A319s currently used. However, the two medium-range jets are only expected to fetch around €20 million.