A round-up of today's other stories in brief
US asks Pakistan for information on video of alleged army killings
ISLAMABAD – A video posted on the internet is raising fresh questions about possible extrajudicial killings by Pakistan’s army, which could threaten US aid to a key ally in the battle against the Taliban.
The US has asked Pakistan for information about the internet video purporting to show Pakistani troops, lined up in a firing squad, shooting bound and blindfolded young men in traditional clothing, officials said.
If the blurry, amateurish video is found to be genuine, it raises troubling questions for the US and its support of the Pakistani army. US law forbids funding foreign military units singled out for human rights violations.
– (Reuters)
Dutch parties to back burqa ban
AMSTERDAM– Two centre-right parties agreed yesterday to ban the burqa in the Netherlands as the price for parliamentary support for their minority government from the anti-Islam Freedom Party.
The Netherlands would become the second European Union country to ban the burqa after France, in what many see as a shift to the right that has dented the blocs reputation for tolerance and may increase security risks.
The agreement tightens the rules on immigration and boosts the number of police officers in a sop to far-right Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders, who is on trial in the Netherlands for inciting hatred against Muslims. – (Reuters)
Russia steps up murder inquiries
MOSCOW– Russia is stepping up efforts to solve the murders of 19 reporters, a leading media rights watchdog, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said yesterday. The committee said it saw a new attitude in a country it ranks among the most dangerous for journalists.
The unsolved murders of journalists focusing on corruption and rights abuses are a black mark on Russias leaders in the eyes of western governments. Kremlin critics say failure to find the killers creates an atmosphere of impunity. But the CPJ said it had seen a new attitude in a meeting with the head of the federal investigative committee, which reopened formal inquiries into five of the killings. – (Reuters)