Bangladesh issues arrest warrants for opposition chief in graft cases (Reuters) - Maleeha

Feb 25 (Reuters) - A Bangladesh court issued arrest warrants on Wednesday for former prime minister and opposition leader Khaleda Zia, action likely to escalate tension fuelling anti-government protests in which more than 100 people have been killed over the past month.

A special anti-corruption court issued the warrants after declining her lawyers' plea for more time in two graft cases.

"The court issued warrants against her ... There is no justice," Khaleda's lawyer Sanaullah Miah told reporters.

Khaleda is accused of embezzling $650,000 in two corruption cases involving charitable funds during her last term as prime minister from 2001 to 2006.

She has failed to appear in court for hearings citing security concerns.

Iran stages war games, boats hit mock-up U.S. ship (Reuters) - Maleeha

(Reuters) - Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards staged war games in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, including a gunboat attack on a model U.S. warship, in Tehran's latest display of military muscle in a Gulf shipping channel vital to world oil exports.

The Shi'ite Muslim Islamic Republic sees the Gulf, between Iran and the Sunni Arab states, as its own backyard and believes it has a legitimate interest in expanding its influence there.

A ceremony marking the exercises was attended by commanders of the Guards, an influential military force led by anti-Western hawks, as well as by parliament speaker Ali Larijani.

"With attention to the situation in the region, we have noticeably expanded the defense budget of the armed forces to ensure the stable security of the region," Larijani told a news conference before the exercises, according to Fars News.

Kazakh ex-envoy Aliyev found dead in Austrian prison (BBC) - Maleeha

Rakhat Aliyev, the Kazakh president's ex son-in-law turned political opponent, has been found dead in an Austrian prison.

Mr Aliyev, former ambassador to Vienna, was found on Tuesday morning after hanging himself, media reports say.

But his lawyers have cast doubt on claims his death was a suicide and have called for an investigation.

Mr Aliyev had been awaiting trial for the murder of two bankers in Kazakhstan after Austria refused extradition.

He had been due to testify on Tuesday against two former cellmates accused of blackmailing him with the threat of getting him killed in a way that would look like suicide.

Mr Aliyev had been moved to a single cell after the threat become public and was not under suicide watch.

Speaking to the Austrian press agency APA, one of his lawyers called for a full investigation into his death.

"I have significant doubts," Klaus Ainedter said.

Scores killed in Bangladesh ferry accident (Al Jazeera) - Jessica Bae

Scores killed in Bangladesh ferry accident

At least 69 people killed as vessel carrying about 140 passengers sinks after colliding with cargo ship.

Sixty-nine people are confirmed dead and rescuers are still searching for missing passengers after a ferry collided with a cargo ship and sank in a Bangladesh river, officials said.

The death toll soared on Monday as navy and fire brigade divers recovered more bodies from the accident that happened a day earlier. 

Pakistan captures militant linked to Peshawar school assault (BBC) - Jessica Bae

Pakistan captures militant linked to Peshawar school assault

The Pakistani military has arrested a man suspected of taking part in December's attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar.

The army claim that Taj Muhammad was one of the commanders behind the Taliban assault.

The army is still searching for other militants linked to the attack, in which at least 150 people were killed, including 133 children.

India struggles with deadly swine flu outbreak (BBC) - Jessica Bae

India struggles with deadly swine flu outbreak

Indian health officials are struggling to contain a swine flu outbreak that has killed more than 700 people since it took hold in mid-December.

The number of cases has doubled since last week to more than 11,000.

Critics have accused the government of failing to distribute medicines, but officials insisted the situation was under control.

This year's outbreak of the H1N1 virus, which causes swine flu, is the deadliest in India since 2010.

The virus first appeared in Mexico in 2009 and rapidly spread around the world.

Indian health officials urge calm as swine flu outbreak spreads (Al Jazeera) -MJ Gillis

Health officials in India this week tried to reassure citizens that the country has adequate medical supplies to combat a swine flue outbreak that has reportedly killed more than 700 people and infected 11,000 others since mid-December.

There is “no shortage of drugs or any other logistics,” and the government is “closely monitoring the situation,” the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The situation in terms of availability of drugs, testing kits, diagnostic labs, personal protective equipment (PPE), masks etc., is being continuously reviewed through video conferencing and telephonic means," the release said. 

Though the airborne nature of H1N1 swine flu and India’s dense population make the outbreak difficult to contend with, doctors have echoed the health ministry’s warnings and instructed citizens to remain calm.

“There’s no cause for panic, but there is cause for worry and we have to be careful and we have to keep track of this because usually the H1N1 influenza season ends by this time as the temperature increases. But this time, unfortunately, it hasn’t done so yet," Dr. Sumit Ray, a physician at New Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, told Al Jazeera.

Doctors attribute the unusually high number of casualties this flu season to infected people delaying hospital visits. Medical professionals are urging anyone who feels symptoms – including chills, coughing, fatigue, fever and headache – to seek immediate care.

Afghan official: Peace talks with Taliban in 'near future' (AP) -MJ Gillis

A senior Afghan leader said on Monday that his country's government will begin peace talks with the Taliban in the "near future."

The statement by Abdullah Abdullah, the chief executive in a government of national unity, came after President Ashraf Ghani declared over the weekend that peace is closer now than at any time since the war began following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

Abdullah, whose post is akin to that of a prime minister, spoke to a meeting of Cabinet members on Monday. An official in Abdullah's office who was present at the meeting quoted Abdullah as saying that Pakistani officials had told Taliban leaders to begin peace talks with the Afghan government. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss details of a Cabinet meeting.

"Pakistani officials said they have told the Taliban that their only option now is to hold peace talks with the Afghan government, and this is what we have been waiting to hear," the official quoted Abdullah as saying.

"The Afghan government will start peace talks with the Taliban in the near future," Abdullah said, adding that the government would keep the Afghan people informed of any progress in talks with the Taliban "from the beginning to the end of the process."

Brokering a peace deal with the insurgents is a priority for Ghani, who took office in September.

In a statement following Abdullah's comments, the Taliban said that they alone would announce any developments toward talks with Afghan authorities.

"If there are any developments, we will announce it through our official sources to our nation as well as to the world," the Taliban statement said.

Since taking office, Ghani has rolled out a complex strategy aimed at forcing the Taliban leadership to accept that their cause — replacing his government with an Islamist emirate — is hopeless. He has enlisted the support of regional countries believed to protect, fund and arm the Taliban, including Pakistan.

Pakistan captures militant linked to Peshawar school assault (BBC) -MJ Gillis

The Pakistani military has arrested a man suspected of taking part in December's attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar.

The army claim that Taj Muhammad was one of the commanders behind the Taliban assault.

The army is still searching for other militants linked to the attack, in which at least 150 people were killed, including 133 children.

All of the gunmen who stormed the school are believed to be dead.

Taj Muhammed was captured in a camp for internally displaced people in the Pawaka area of Peshawar.

Pakistani authorities believe 27 militants were involved in the attack. Nine gunmen were killed during the siege and several others linked to the attack have been captured.

The detainees could be brought before military courts and face the death penalty if convicted of terrorism.

Following the massacre, security has been stepped up in the region, with teachers now allowed to carry guns.

The group of attackers cut through a wire fence at Peshawar's Army School on 16 December before launching an attack on an auditorium where children were taking a lesson in first aid.

The gunmen, who were wearing bomb vests, then went from room to room shooting pupils and teachers in a siege that lasted eight hours.

A faction of the Pakistani Taliban loyal to Mullah Fazlullah said they carried out the attack in revenge for the army's offensive against them in North Waziristan.

Iran executes young Iranian Kurd despite global outcry (France 24)--Lelia Busch

Iran on Thursday executed an Iranian Kurd arrested at the age of 17 for belonging to the rebel Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) and involvement in armed confrontations with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards despite calls for leniency.

Saman Naseem, 22, was sentenced to death in April 2013, after allegedly being tortured.

His execution was confirmed by the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) on Friday.

According to the FIDH, Nassem’s family, which had been ordered by the authorities to “keep quiet”, were told to collect his personal effects from prison this weekend, which is the usual practice after an execution in Iran.

The FIDH underscored in its communiqué on Friday that Iran was a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which forbids the execution of minors, and that Tehran had ignored international calls – including from France – for leniency.

“Saman Naseem was a minor when he was arrested and his fundamental rights were not respected,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement issued late on Thursday. “France calls on Iran to respect its international human rights obligations, particularly those regarding children.”

Thousands took to Twitter this week demanding leniency for Naseem in posts addressed directly to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has an account with the micro-blogging site despite the service being banned in Iran.

Ahmed Shaheed, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, and Christof Heyns, UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, also urged Iran this week to halt the execution. 

"Regardless of the circumstances and nature of the crime, the execution of juvenile offenders is clearly prohibited by international human rights law," the pair said in a statement.

They asked Iran to act in accordance with its own policies, which state that confessions obtained under torture are inadmissible under Iranian law.

China to neighbours: Send us your Uighurs (al Jazeera)--Lelia Busch

Kabul, Afghanistan - Isreal Ahmet, an ethnic Uighur who immigrated to Afghanistan from western China, lived and worked in Kabul for more than a decade before being detained and deported by Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (NDS) last summer.

Ahmet, who lived in a meagre, mud-brick house, was described as an honest businessman by those who know him. 

An NDS official - speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorised to talk to the media - told Al Jazeera that Ahmet was detained for lacking legal documentation and carrying counterfeit money. He was held in a jail cell with more than two dozen other Chinese Uighurs, including women and children.

Flagged as a spy, Ahmet was quickly escorted to the Kabul International Airport, where Chinese officials were waiting for him. He boarded a plane and has not been heard from since. 

UK troops leave Afghanistan after 13 years (al Jazeera)--Lelia Busch

British troops have ended combat operations in Afghanistan as they and US troops handed over two huge adjacent bases to the Afghan military, 13 years after a US-led invasion to topple the Taliban.

The troops handed over to Afghan forces on Sunday at camps Bastion and Leatherneck, in the southwestern province of Helmand. The timing of their withdrawal had not been announced for security reasons.

Their departure on Sunday leaves Afghanistan and its newly installed president, Ashraf Ghani, to deal almost unaided with an emboldened Taliban after the last foreign combat troops withdraw by year-end.

AP EXCLUSIVE: US, IRAN DISCUSSING NUCLEAR TALKS COMPROMISE (AP) - Jessica Bae

AP EXCLUSIVE: US, IRAN DISCUSSING NUCLEAR TALKS COMPROMISE

VIENNA (AP) -- With time for negotiations running short, the U.S and Iran are discussing a compromise that would let Iran keep much of its uranium-enriching technology but reduce its potential to make nuclear weapons, two diplomats tell The Associated Press.

Afghan president faces new hurdles as cabinet nominees rejected (Reuters) - Jessica Bae

Afghan president faces new hurdles as cabinet nominees rejected

(Reuters) - Afghanistan's parliament dealt a new blow to President Ashraf Ghani's efforts to assemble a government on Wednesday, approving just eight out of 25 cabinet nominees before its winter recess.

Ghani, who took office in September promising dramatic reforms and greater transparency, must now wait until mid-March before introducing new candidates to the lower house.

Some elements circulating counterfeit currency: SBP (Dawn) - Jessica Bae

Some elements circulating counterfeit currency: SBP

LAHORE: Acting Governor of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Saeed Ahmad says that anti-state elements are involved in circulating counterfeit Pakistani currency in the country to undermine the national economy.

“The central bank is vigilant to foil designs of these elements,” Mr Ahmad told newsmen at a conference on ‘currency management: strategies for the future,’ arranged by SBP at a hotel here on Tuesday.

Bangladesh petrol bomb attack leaves seven dead (BBC) - Maleeha

At least seven people have been burned to death and 15 others injured, some seriously, in a petrol bomb attack on a bus in eastern Bangladesh.

Police said the bus had been full of sleeping passengers when it was attacked near the town of Chauddagram.

It is the latest in a spate of attacks on buses, lorries and cars since anti-government protests began last month.

Opposition leader Khaleda Zia called for the protests on the anniversary of last year's disputed election.

However, she has denied that her Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its Islamist allies are behind the firebombings.

Kazakhstan bans rallies, fearing Ukraine-style turmoil: U.N. report (Reuters) - Maleeha

ALMATY (Reuters) - Kazakhstan says it has clamped down on peaceful rallies out of fear of a repeat of the protests that brought chaos to Ukraine, a United Nations special rapporteur said in a critical report on the central Asian state.

Kazakhstan's strongman President Nursultan Nazarbayev has sought to play the role of peacemaker in the Ukraine conflict, that was triggered by popular protests that forced the then President Viktor Yanukovich to flee the country in 2014.

Concluding a fact-finding visit to Kazakhstan, the U.N. rapporteur Maina Kiai said there was a "very limited space for the expression of dissenting views" in the oil-rich nation.

"Various government officials that I met with mentioned the necessity of limiting peaceful assembly for fear of a revolution such as the recent ... events in Ukraine," he said in a statement released late on Tuesday.

"I do not accept this as a legitimate ground for restricting the right (to protest)," he added.

There was no immediate comment from Kazakh officials.

Ukraine's popular uprising, which installed a pro-Western government in Kiev, sent shockwaves across authoritarian post-Soviet Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, which has been ruled by Nazarbayev since the downfall of Communism.

Nazarbayev, a former steelworker who has warm ties with Russia, has overseen market reforms and attracted massive foreign investment. But he has also kept a tight lid on dissent.

The West and human rights bodies denounced the Kazakh government after police opened fire in December 2011 to quell a revolt by striking oil workers in the western town of Zhanaozen. At least 16 people were killed.

"Although authorities repeatedly make reference to the 'rule of law', the practice in Kazakhstan reflects strong adherence to 'rule by law,' perhaps a holdover from the past Soviet era," Kiai said.

He added that he was "deeply disappointed" when some of the people he met during his visit this month to Kazakhstan allegedly came under police surveillance.

(Reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Crispian Balmer)

Iran denies US claim that nuclear talks include missiles (Al-Monitor) - Maleeha

Iran launched its fourth satellite into space yesterday, Feb. 2. The Fajr (Dawn) satellite — which was built domestically and launched using an Iranian Safir-e Fajr satellite carrier — is to be used for observational purposes, according to Iranian officials.

Blast at Shi'ite mosque in southern Pakistan kills 49 (Reuters) -MJ Gillis

(Reuters) - At least 49 people were killed in a powerful explosion at a crowded Shi'ite mosque in Pakistan during Friday prayers, the latest sectarian attack to hit the South Asian nation.

Police said the blast was caused either by a suicide bomber or an explosive device which went off when the mosque was at its fullest on Friday afternoon in the center of Shikarpur, a city in Pakistan's southern province of Sindh.

Radical Sunni Islamist groups often target mosques frequented by minority Shi'ites, whom they see as infidels.

Earlier this month, six people were killed and 17 wounded by a suicide bomber outside a Shi'ite mosque in the city of Rawalpindi, also after Friday prayers.

"We are trying to ascertain the nature of the blast," said Shikarpur police chief Saqib Ismail Memon. "A bomb disposal squad is examining the scene."

Saeed Ahmed Mangnejo, head of the regional civil administration, told Reuters that the death toll had reached 49.

Taliban claim deadly Kabul airport attack (Al Jazeera) -MJ Gillis

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for an attack at the Kabul airport in which a gunman shot and killed three American contractors and one Afghan man.

Friday's claim came in a message from the Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, the day after the alleged "insider attack" when a man in an Afghan Security Forces (ANSF) uniform opened fire at the airport.

Details of the Thursday evening shooting at the military-run North Kabul International Airport complex are still unclear, with a spokesman for NATO's Resolute Support mission saying the incident is under investigation.

The victims, who were employed under a US Defence Department contract to help train the Afghan air force, died from gunshot wounds.

In the statement, the Taliban spokesperson identified the attacker as Hessanullha from Laghman province. He said the Taliban fighter had infiltrated the ranks of Afghan forces to stage the attack and wore an Afghan police uniform.

Pakistani LGBT community's fight for rights (Al Jazeera) -MJ Gillis

Lahore, Pakistan - The transgender community in Pakistan has gained ground with the Supreme Court recognising a third gender on national identity cards, however, it remains widely discriminated against in the conservative society.

Transgender people are often found living at the margins of society with low social status and few employment opportunities. They generally earn a living through begging, or engaging in the sex trade, or as dancers at weddings and other celebrations where men and women are strictly segregated.

To fight discrimination and violence, transgender activists are working at the Khawaja Sira Society (KSS), a drop-in centre under the umbrella of local Pakistani NGO Naz Male Health Alliance.

The centre provides services for the local transgender community, including HIV/AIDS treatment as well as contraception awarness and distribution via its outreach programme and through its clinic.

Because of Pakistan's conservative religious culture, political volatility and security issues, the activists operate mostly under the radar.

Pakistan mosque blast: Mass funerals for Shia victims (BBC News)--Lelia Busch

Funerals have taken place in southern Pakistan for the victims of a suicide attack on a Shia mosque during Friday prayers which police say killed at least 60 people.

Dozens were also wounded in the attack in Sindh province's Shikarpur district, making it one of the worst sectarian attacks in Pakistan in recent years.

Sunni militants linked to the Taliban said they carried out the attack.

An official day of mourning has been declared across Sindh.

Some Shia groups burned tyres and blocked roads during protest rallies in Shikarpur town - where the attack took place.

Protests also took place in other cities.

Protests against the bombing have taken place all over Pakistan, including in Karachi