Bin Laden doctor`s 33 years jail sentence overturned

A judicial official on Thursday overturned the 33-year jail sentence of Shakil Afridi, the doctor who helped the CIA track down former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Judicial official Commissioner Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) Sahibzada Mohammad Anees ruled that the previous judge in the case exceeded his authority when handing down last year’s sentence and ordered a new trial.

Afridi’s sentence angered the United States, which withheld $33 million in aid for Pakistan in retaliation.

Afridi remains in custody and is believed to be held at the Peshawar central jail, reports dawn.com.

Australia settles 5 Bangladeshis in PNG

 
 

Australia has settled in Papua New Guinea five Bangladeshi citizens who travelled by boat to the country without visa under its new regional arrangement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said.

Its spokesperson M Shameem Ahsan told bdnews24.com they were among a group of people of different nationalities in the boat that had been spotted on Aug 23.

“Particulars (Bangladeshis) are yet to be obtained,” he added.

The ministry confirmed it on Wednesday a month after Australian High Commissioner in Dhaka Greg Wilcock said some people claiming to be Bangladeshi nationals seeking asylums were detected while entering his country by a boat without visa.

He at a press briefing on July 29 had said they had been verifying their claims.

Australia came to an agreement with the Papua New Guinea (PNG) on July 19 under which all those who arrive in Australia by ‘dangerous’ boat without visas will have the validity of their refugee status assessed according to the laws of the PNG government.

The envoy said the decision had been taken in the wake of continuous inflow of people with ‘dangerous boat journey’ and to stop human traffickers ‘exploiting’ asylum seekers.

The foreign ministry spokesperson said they were in touch with the Australian High Commission in Dhaka and the Bangladesh mission in Australia had been asked “to get in touch with the relevant authorities and take appropriate actions”.

( www.bdnews24.com )

US embassy closure linked to terror fear

US intelligence has picked up signs of al Qaeda plot against US posts
DHAKA : The US embassy’s announcement earlier today that it will remain closed on Sunday, August 4, is linked to a perceived terror threat from Al Qaeda, it’s been learned, reports UNB.
The State Department is in fact keeping several consulates and embassies around the world closed on the date, due to the security threat.
Leading American cable network CBS reported earlier this morning that U.S. intelligence has picked up signs of an al Qaeda plot against American diplomatic posts in the Middle East and other Muslim countries.
The intelligence does not mention a specific location, which is why all embassies that would normally be open on Sunday have been ordered to close. That includes embassies and consulates in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia, where Sunday is the start of the work week. In line with this, Embassy Dhaka’s announcement to that effect was communicated in the early hours of Friday. Missing key pieces of intelligence means the security net has to be cast very wide – in this case, almost all Muslim-majority countries with a Sunday start to their week. As of 5:35am on Friday, CBS reported some 14 embassies and consulates had announced closures on August 4.
CBS further reported that officials say this appears to be “a real plot in the making” and not just the “normal chatter among terrorists” talking about attacks they’d like to carry out.
Marie Harf, the deputy spokeswoman for the State Department, told reporters the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution.” She also said that it is “possible” some facilities would remain closed for more than a day, depending on the results of a security analysis.