Current Affairs

Monday, September 2, 2013

Bomb kills 9 soldiers in northwest Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: A roadside bomb targeting a passing Pakistani army convoy exploded on Sunday, killing nine soldiers in a tribal region near the border with Afghanistan, authorities said.

The roadside bomb exploded in a village near Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal area, the army said in a statement. It said the bombing killed nine soldiers, but did not say if anyone was wounded in the attack.

Islamabad : A case was registered in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against former president Pervez Musharraf for the murder of Abdul Rashid and his mother during the Lal Masjid operation, Express News reported on Monday.

Earlier, the IHC stopped Station House Officer (SHO) Aabpara Police Station, Qasim Niazi from leaving the courtroom, saying that he would not be allowed to leave until a case was registered against Musharraf.

NEW DELHI: Robbed of some sheen due to selection controversies this year, the National Sports Awards were presented today to the country's top athletes and coaches with shooter Ronjan Sodhi getting the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna -- the country's highest sporting honour -- while cricketer Virat Kohli was among the Arjuna awardees.

New Delhi: Sonia Gandhi, president of the ruling Congress party, is expected to fly to the United States for a scheduled medical check-up, a news agency report said, just days after she took ill during a marathon parliament debate.

"Her going to the U.S. for a medical check-up is due," the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency quoted an unnamed senior party leader as saying.

CAIRO: Egypt's top prosecutor on Sunday referred ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi to trial on charges of inciting the killing of opponents protesting outside his palace while he was in office, the state news agency said.

The military ousted Morsi on July 3 after millions took to the streets demanding that he step down. He's been held incommunicado since. Despite other accusations by prosecutors, the decision on Sunday is Morsi's first referral to trial. No date was announced for the trial.

ISLAMABAD: The government announced on Sunday that it would consult all parties in parliament before initiating formal talks with the Taliban.

“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wants to take the heads of all parliamentary parties into confidence after returning from Karachi next week,” Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said.

Whether Australia can produce young batsmen who are able to occupy the crease in Test cricket remains up for debate. That they can produce batsmen who give it an almighty thump there is no doubt. Aaron Finch, the 26-year-old Victorian, ransacked England's bowling with an eye-popping world record 156 as Australia secured their first victory in any format for 200 days.

PARIS: French President, Francois Hollande, said on Friday that a military strike on Syria could come by Wednesday.

He was of the view that Britain's surprise rejection of armed intervention would not affect his government's stand.

In an interview to the Le Monde daily on Friday, Hollande said that France wanted firm action against the Damascus regime.

The PM and top BJP leader Arun Jaitley exchanged sharp words in Parliament today, with Dr Manmohan Singh attacking the opposition for disruptions."Have you heard of any country where MPs shout and walk to the well of the House and say 'Prime Minister chor hai (the PM is a crook)," he asked in the Rajya Sabha after his speech on the economic crisis was derided by Mr Jaitley, the Leader of the Opposition.

GANDHINAGAR: Several Muslim religious organizations have issued fatwas against Gujarat BJP's minority cell president Sufi Mehboob Ali Chishti (Bava) calling for his social boycott. Chishti had shot into limelight during chief minister Narendra Modi's Sadbhavna Mission fast in 2011 as he had made many of the arrangements.

Sources said that 19 maulanas from Surat and Bharuch districts have issued fatwas against Chishti on charges of trying to divide the community through his book 'Tajine Sajda Jayaz Hai'. The maulanas have alleged that he is using his clout to settle property and business dealings.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday ruled out reversal of reforms or resorting to capital controls to rescue the sliding rupee, which he said fell on account of domestic as well as global factors.

Making a statement on the state of the economy in Parliament amid concerns over rapid depreciation of rupee, Singh said the country has to be ready for short-term shocks but the government will ensure that the fundamentals of economy remain strong.

Saudi Arabia has adopted a law that criminalises domestic violence, usually targeting women and children, in a move hailed by activists.

The "Protection from Abuse" law, approved by the cabinet on Monday, is aimed at protecting people from "all forms of abuse" and offering them shelter as well as "social, psychological, and medical aid," according to its text.

Supreme court asks J&K chief secretary to file affidavit on Kishtwar clashes

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir to file a detailed affidavit on the communal clashes in Kishtwar district and subsequent steps taken by the state government to control the situation.

The apex court directed the chief secretary to file the affidavit by August 21 on a PIL seeking direction to the government to provide safe passage to the pilgrims stranded there due to curfew in Kishtwar to enable them to return home.

TRIPOLI :Some 14,000 prisoners who escaped from various Libyan detention centres after the 2011 uprising against Muammar Gaddafi are still on the run, the interior minister said.

Speaking less than three weeks after more than 1,200 detainees escaped during riots from a prison in the eastern city of Benghazi, Mr Mohamed al-Cheikh told ministry officials on Monday that the interior and justice ministries were "working together to get them back to prison so they can serve out their sentences".

The death toll from the consumption of toxic bootlegged liquor in the southern port city of Karachi rose to 18, as at least nine more people lost their battle for life on Monday, hospital officials said.

At least half a dozen people were still admitted to the hospital in precarious condition, raising fears that the casualties may rise further.

“It is a sorry situation and seven more people passed away one by one during the course of the day,” a senior doctor at the Jinnah Hospital, the city’s biggest state hospital, said.

JAMMU: Heavy exchange of fire erupted on the border as Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire yet again on Tuesday morning — the eight in the last four days — targeting Indian border posts in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir.

"There was firing by Pakistani Rangers on Narianpur border out post (BoP) in Ramgarh forward area in Samba district around 0730 hours", a BSF officer said.

Cairo : Egypt’s judiciary said on Monday it was extending ousted president Mohammed Mursi’s detention for a further 15 days pending an investigation into his collaboration with Hamas.

Mursi, overthrown by the military on July 3, was placed in detention on July 26 over his links with the Palestinian Islamist militant group, which rules neighbouring Gaza.

CHESTER-LE-STREET: Stuart Broad bowled England to a stunning 74-run fourth Test win over Australia with more than a day to spare as they took an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match Ashes series.

Australia, set 299 to win on Monday's fourth day at Chester-le-Street, were well-placed at 168 for two but slumped to 224 all out as paceman Broad took six wickets for 50 runs for a Test-best match haul of 11 for 121.

The victory means England, who had already retained the Ashes, have won three successive Test series against Australia for the first time since the 1950s.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected RJD chief Lalu Prasad's plea for transfer of trial court judge hearing the case against him in the fodder scam.

A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam, which had on July 9 restrained the trial court from passing the judgement in fodder scam case, gave its order on Tuesday on Lalu's plea.

Militants kill 44 people praying at a mosque in Nigeria

MAIDUGURI: Suspected Islamic militants wearing army fatigues gunned down 44 people praying at a mosque in northeast Nigeria, while another 12 civilians died in an apparently simultaneous attack, security agents said on Monday.

Sunday's attacks were the latest in a slew of violence blamed on religious extremists in this west African oil producer, where the radical Boko Haram group, which wants to oust the government and impose Islamic law, poses the greatest security threat in years.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday vowed to defeat terrorist forces and turn Pakistan into a cradle of peace with the support and unity of the people and cooperation from the army and other vital security institutions.

“The whole nation is united. We are in high spirits and would give an absolute defeat to the terrorists with the full cooperation of army and other national security institutions,” the prime minister said while addressing the flag hoisting ceremony here at the Convention Center to mark the country's 67th Independence Day.

CAIRO: Egyptian security forces killed at least 30 people on Wednesday clearing a camp of Cairo protesters who were demanding the reinstatement of deposed President Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood said.

There was no immediate official confirmation of the deaths at Rabaa al-Adawiya, where thousands of Morsi supporters who have been gathered for six weeks awoke to an army operation and police helicopters circling the site.

MUMBAI: Defence minister AK Antony on Wednesday said that he feels sad about the sailors who lost their lives in the fire on an Indian Navy submarine in Mumbai.

"I feel sad about those Navy personnel who lost their lives for the country," Antony told reporters outside Parliament.

In a major setback to the Indian Navy, a submarine caught fire after a massive explosion and sank in the dockyard here early on Wednesday, with the fate of 18 personnel, including three officers, on board remaining uncertain.

RIYADH - King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has announced a further donation of $100 million (75 million euros) to set up a United Nations centre for fighting terrorism, Saudi media reported on Thursday.

Saudi Arabia signed an agreement with the UN in 2011 to create the centre and the oil-rich Gulf monarchy has already donated $10 million towards its launch.

ISLAMABAD: Despite threats by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the government has decided to carry out the execution of condemned prisoners and the death penalty for the first batch of terrorists belonging to outlawed groups will be implemented next week.

While the TTP has issued a ‘warning’ to the government to refrain from implementing the death penalties of its members, the interior minister says the new government is determined to establish the writ of law.

Outgoing CIA Deputy Leader Michael Morrell raised more than a few eyebrows this weekend when in an interview he declared Syria to be the “top current threat to US national security,” a spot usually reserved for someplace the US is directly militarily involved in.

The declaration is even more significant the deeper you get into Morrell’s comments, as he makes clear exactly what about Syria the CIA sees as a threat, saying the risk is that the Assad government “collapses and the country becomes al-Qaeda’s new haven.”

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said terrorism was not a problem restricted to particular regions of the country, adding that concerted efforts were required to combat the menace.

The premier made these remarks during a visit to the Interior Ministry where he also reviewed the prospects of the constitution of a new force to tackle terrorists, DawnNews reported.

Prime Minister Sharif said the state would ensure the security of the citizens and would employ all possible measures for the purpose.

A cholera outbreak at a village in northeast Afghanistan has infected 1,492 people, killed a young woman and left another 100 in critical condition, a provincial official said on Tuesday.

Abdul Marouf Rasekh, a spokesman for the governor of Badakhshan province, said the outbreak began three days ago and was restricted to one town that has been quarantined.

When it first appeared in the mountainous village of Chappa in the Darayen district, Mr. Rasekh said it infected 850 people but quickly spread until the quarantine was put in place.

Trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi was on Tuesday recommended for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, while cricketer Virat Kohli was among the 14 sportspersons picked for the Arjuna award by the selection committee headed by billiards legend Michael Ferreira.

Badminton player P.V. Sindhu, triple-jumper Renjith Maheshwary and golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar were also in the list of 14 sportspersons picked for the Arjuna award, sources told PTI.

LoC attack: Kamal Nath defends Antony amid opposition attack on his statement

NEW DELHI: Under attack for his statement on the killing of five Indian soldiers on LoC, defence minister A K Antony on Wednesday maintained that his contention about the involvement of terrorists in the assault was based on "whatever information" he had.

He told Rajya Sabha that he will get back to the House if he got more details about Tuesday's incident in Poonch after the visit of Army chief Gen Bikram Singh to Jammu on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD: Monsoon rains triggering floods have killed 84 people across Pakistan in the last week and affected more than 80,000 others, officials said Wednesday, warning of further downpours.

“At least 84 people were killed, 44 were wounded and 81,341 were affected by recent rain and flooding,” a senior official in the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) told AFP.

Drone strike kills six suspected militants in Yemen

ADEN: A US drone killed at least six suspected Al Qaeda militants in southern Yemen on Wednesday, officials said, a day after US and British embassies evacuated some staff because of growing fears of attacks.

It was the fifth strike in less than two weeks and follows warnings of potential attacks by militants that pushed Washington to shut missions across the Middle East, and the United States and Britain to evacuate staff from Yemen.

Witnesses and local officials in the province of Shabwa said the drone fired at least six missiles at two vehicles in a remote area some 70 kilometres north of the provincial capital, Ataq. Both vehicles were destroyed.

Residents who rushed to the scene found only charred bodies, they said.

New Delhi: The government has said that Defence Minister AK Antony's controversial statement in Parliament yesterday on the killing of five Indian soldiers in Kashmir was based on facts and that he would not issue an apology for it.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said today, "What the defence minister said was very carefully calibrated and is final, is based on Army's facts," adding, "There is no question of the defence minister apologising." (Track live updates)

DAMASCUS: Syrian troops killed at least 62 rebels in an ambush Wednesday near Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Syrian military said those killed were members of the jihadist Al-Nusra Front.

BAGHDAD: A series of bombings across Baghdad were the deadliest in a spate of nationwide attacks that killed 47 people on Tuesday, as Iraq struggles with its worst violence since 2008.

At least eight car bombs and several roadside bombs struck the capital just before Iraqis broke their daytime Ramadan fast, the latest in brutal violence during the Muslim holy month that has left hundreds dead.

QUETTA, Pakistan: Dozens of gunmen disguised in police uniforms shot to death 13 people they pulled off of a convoy of buses in southwest Pakistan and dumped their bodies in a nearby ravine, officials said Tuesday.

The motive for the attack Monday night was unclear since no one has claimed responsibility. But suspicion may fall on separatists who have been waging a low-level insurgency in southwest Baluchistan province for decades.The buses were headed to central Punjab province, and the separatists have a history of attacking Punjabis who they view as outsiders encroaching on their independence. The province is also home to many Islamic militants who have carried out attacks in the past, especially on minority Shiite Muslims.

Syrian rebels said on Thursday they targeted President Bashar al-Assad's motorcade as he was heading to attend prayers at a Damascus mosque to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, but footage broadcast by state television showed him unharmed.

The Tahrir al-Sham rebel brigade, a unit of the Free Syrian Army, said in a statement: "After conducting reconnaissance (on) the timing and course of Bashar al-Assad's motorcade the area was hit with artillery. We pray to God and await the field report about the results."

NEW DELHI: Making a fresh statement in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, defence minister A K Antony said that specialist forces from Pakistani army were involved in attack on Indian soldiers at the LoC.

Antony also said that those in Pakistan who are responsible for this tragedy should not go unpunished.

"Our restraint should not be taken for granted," Antony said in Lok Sabha.

Sikh delegation told to remove turbans at Rome airport

NEW DELHI: Delhi's gurdwara management committee president Manjeet Singh GK and other members of a Sikh delegation were not cleared to board a flight from Rome after they refused to take off their turbans at the airport security check on Tuesday.

Manjeet Singh, who is also Delhi chief of Akali Dal (Badal), told TOI that the delegation had offered to let the staff touch their turbans and run a metal detector over it, but the Italian security insisted on them taking the turbans off.

Pak concerns over Indian role in Afghanistan not groundless: US

WASHINGTON: In an acknowledgement of Pakistan’s concerns over India’s presence in Afghanistan, US Special Representative James Dobbins has said Islamabad’s fears are “not groundless”.

The US diplomat, in an interview with the BBC Urdu Service in Washington, recognised the cross-border infiltration of hostile elements into Pakistan from the Afghan side.

ISLAMABAD: Industries are being set up across Punjab and foreign investors would be provided investment opportunities in a bid to boost the economy.

This was stated by Chaudhry Mohammad Shafiq, Punjab Minister for Industries, Commerce and Investment during a meeting with a delegation of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI).

ISLAMABAD: After a demonstration by a mob outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Wednesday over the killing of Indian soldiers along the Line of Control, the Foreign Office asked India to beef up security of Pakistani diplomats and high commission staff.

Indian Deputy High Commissioner Gopal Baglay was summoned to the Foreign Office and asked to convey to the Indian government that Pakistan expected it to meet its responsibility of protecting Pakistani diplomats and allied staff posted there.

NEW DELHI: Indian media claimed on Thursday that the country has halted dialogue process with Pakistan while Indian Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid told that it is before time to say anything yet, Geo News reported.

According to the India media reports, Pakistan-India talks over several issues including the controversial Sir Creek have been discontinued.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif has summoned an emergency meeting with the foreign ministry and other high-ranked security officials over the Indian attack on the Pakistani soldiers at the Line of Control (LoC) Thursday, Geo News reported.

According to the sources, the meeting will review the strained situation that has emerged between Pakistan and India along with the Indian allegations after the LoC attack.

QUETTA: Unknown gunmen opened indiscriminate fire on a police van in Killi Almo area of Quetta killing station house officer (SHO) of City police station and injuring six others on Thursday.

SHO Mohibullah, along with four of his children and two other policemen, had left his residence in a police van when it came under fire from unknown motorcycle-riding gunmen in Killi Almo area of Balochistan's capital city.

Blast in Quetta Police Lines mosque kills DIG Operations

QUETTA: DIG Operations and seven other officials were killed, while 20 others were injured in a suicide blast at Police Lines, Quetta, on Thursday, Express News reported.

The blast took place just before the funeral prayers of SHO City Mohib Ullah commenced at the Police Lines mosque.

Japan has protested to China over the presence of Chinese coast guard vessels in waters near disputed islands in the East China Sea, in what Tokyo says was China's longest incursion.

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday that Japan conveyed its outrage to China and strongly urged an immediate exit of all Chinese vessels in Japanese territory.

SSP, two army officers killed in Chilas firing incident

CHILAS: Three people, including a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Diamer and two army officers, were killed on Tuesday as their convoy came under attack in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Chilas area.

According to DawnNews, unknown gunmen opened fire on a government convoy in Chilas, killing SSP Diamer Muhammad Hilal and two army officers Colonel Ghulam Mustafa and Captain Ashfaq Aziz on the spot.

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri ordered the head of the terrorist group’s Yemen affiliate to carry out an attack, according to intercepted communications that have led to the closure of U.S. embassies and a global travel alert, said a person briefed on the case.

In one communication, Zawahiri, who succeeded Osama bin Laden, gave “clear orders” to Nasir al-Wuhayshi, the founder of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, to undertake an attack, the source said. McClatchy newspapers first reported the exchange on Sunday.

BOLAN: Rebel separatists Tuesday killed 14 people, including three security officers, after stopping vehicles at a fake checkpoint in Balochistan.

The attack happened in the Mach area of Bolan district, 70 kilometres (44 miles) southeast of the provincial capital Quetta. It appears to have targeted mostly people from the central province of Punjab ahead of Eidul-Fitr.

UK evacuates Yemen embassy staff amid threat

Britain’s Foreign Office says it has evacuated all staff from its embassy in Yemen due to increased security concerns.

The moves come shortly after the U.S. State Department ordered non-essential personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Yemen to leave the country following the threat by al-Qaeda that has triggered temporary shutdowns of 19 American diplomatic posts across the Middle East and Africa.

SILIVRI: A Turkish court on Monday sentenced a former army chief to life in prison in a high-profile trial of 275 people accused of plotting against the Islamic-rooted government, a ruling that sparked angry protests in the streets.

Police fired tear gas and water cannon at thousands of protesters outside the court near Istanbul after the verdicts were delivered in the divisive case, which resulted in lengthy prison sentences for the majority of the accused, including top brass, journalists and opposition lawmakers.

KUALA LUMPUR: Ten people dressed in ninja-style garb have been detained after they arrived at Malaysia's royal palace in a bizarre attempt to claim the throne, police said Tuesday.

The unarmed group, reported by local media to be suspected followers of a Malaysian Muslim figure claiming royal descent, were stopped by police guards in the confrontations early Monday morning at the palace in Kuala Lumpur.

SANAA: At least four suspected Al Qaeda members were killed in a drone strike in central Yemen, local tribal leaders said on Tuesday, following a US warning of a possible major militant attack in the region.

The US State Department also ordered all non-essential staff out of Yemen and told Americans to leave the country “immediately” over terrorism concerns.

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