WORLD CURRENT AFFAIRS

Friday 6 September 2013

Egypt's interior minister survives bomb attack

CAIRO: Egypt's interior minister survived an assassination attempt on Thursday when a bomb blew up as his convoy drove through Cairo's Nasr City district, state media and security officials said.

Security sources said at least 10 people had been injured, but the minister, who lives in Nasr City, just outside the city centre, was not hurt.

Bomb wounds 11 outside girls' school in Bannu

Bannu: A bomb wounded 11 people, mostly children, when it exploded outside a girls' school in Bannu on Thursday, a doctor said.

The bomb went off at the end of the school day as pupils walked into a street lined with fabric shops in the northwestern town of Bannu, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Doctor Omar Zeb told news agency AFP that 11 people had been brought to the local hospital – seven primary schoolgirls and four other people who had been in the street.

ISLAMABAD: The National Command Authority session, chaired by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, took place at the Prime Minister House on Thursday, DawnNews reported.

The meeting, which took place after media disclosure that the United States had intensified its surveillance of Pakistan’s nuclear programs based on documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden, was aimed at examining Pakistan’s nuclear assets.

Guwahati: A Border Security Force (BSF) constable allegedly killed two officers and injured another before shooting himself at a remote border post in Assam's Dhubri district. The constable, Jawan Prabhakar Mishra, died on his way to the hospital.

Constable Mishra allegedly shot the officers from his service weapon around 10:30 am and, later shot himself at Hathi Char border post, a senior BSF official said.

World leaders from the G20 group of nations are set to meet in Russia amid sharp differences over military action against Syria’s government.

Ahead of the talks, Russia’s Vladimir Putin warned that action without UN approval would be “an aggression”.

WASHINGTON: The White House meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama will be held as per schedule on September 27, despite the latter being busy due to ongoing Syrian crisis.

While no formal bilateral Obama-Singh meeting has been planned on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in St Petersburg, Russia, the two leaders are expected to interact on its margins this week, officials said here.

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani legal aid group Wednesday said dozens of Pakistani prisoners held by the US at an Afghan prison were at risk of falling into indefinite detention due to stalled negotiations between the US and Pakistan over their repatriation.

The Justice Project Pakistan represents Pakistani prisoners held in Afghanistan and their families.

KARACHI: Three suspected militants were killed on Thursday during an exchange of fire with personnel from the Crime Investigation Department (CID) in Karachi’s Mauripur area, DawnNews reported.

According to SSP CID Chaudhry Aslam, police launched a search operation in the Mauripur graveyard upon receiving a tip-off on the suspects’ whereabouts, following which the suspected men opened fire.

The Order of St. Andrew the Apostle Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate released a statement criticizing the possible reconversion of the Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul into a mosque.

The statement said that there was a possibility of the “church-turned-mosque-turned-museum” in Istanbul being reconverted into a mosque, as two previous cases of Hagia Sophia churches that were recently in Iznik and Trabzon.

Israeli forces surround al-Aqsa mosque

There are confirmed reports that Israeli forces have surrounded the al-Aqsa mosque in occupied Jerusalem after it was reportedly stormed by Jewish groups.

Witnesses inside the mosque told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that Israeli forces had detained several Palestinian Muslim worshippers inside and were firing tear gas.

Arab states urge action against Assad regime

The Arab Foreign Ministers have held the Syrian government responsible for all the chemical attacks on the suburbs of Damascus, while calling for referring the perpetrators to international trials, Xinhua reported.

In the Arab League (AL) resolution, the Foreign Ministers strongly condemned and denounced the “heinous crime” committed by using the chemical weapons banned internationally against unarmed civilians, in defiance of the international norms.

EL-ARISH: Egyptian helicopter gunships fired rockets early Tuesday at militants in the northern Sinai Peninsula, causing ''dozens'' of casualties, a security official said.

He said the two aircraft surprised militant gatherings in three houses in two locations, al-Muqataa and Touma, south of the town of Sheikh Zuweyid near the border with the Gaza Strip.

Islamabad/Lahore: The hearing in the Mumbai attack case was on Tuesday adjourned till tomorrow after the prosecution said the Law Ministry is yet to issue gazette notification about departure of Judicial Commission to India on 7 September.

Damascus: Amid escalating violence in Syria, it has been reported that two ballistic missiles have been fired towards Deir ez-Zor, the 6th largest city in Syria and the largest in the eastern part of Syria, on Tuesday. According to reports, two ballistic objects were fired from the eastern Mediterranean Sea at around 10.16 am (Moscow time).

The Syrian government will attack US interests in the Middle East in the event of a military strike on the country, Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said.

"Any act of aggression towards Syria is aggression towards the Arab world and the region," Mekdad told Lebanon's al-Manar TV channel.

The Afghan national police have killed 12 militants and arrested 33 others during a number of clean-up operations, the country's interior ministry said Tuesday.

"Afghan national police, supported by the army, intelligence agency and the NATO-led coalition forces, carried out several clean-up operations in Helmand, Ghor, Paktiya, Logar, Wardak, Uruzgan, Kandahar, Kunduz, Baghlan and Nangarhar provinces over the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement, reports Xinhua.

Indian Mujahideen (IM) founding member Yasin Bhatkal, who was recently arrested near India-Nepal border along with a close aide, has revealed that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is the IM's prime target, an Indian Today report said. Bhatkal told the intelligence officers that IM's international funds flow will in increase manyfold if the IM manages to reach the leader.

ISLAMABAD: Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, T.C.A. Raghavan, met with Adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Foreign Affairs and National Security, Sartaj Aziz, at the Foreign Office on Tuesday, DawnNews reported.

The two reportedly discussed the details of a meeting that is likely to take place between Prime Minister Sharif and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this month.

All papers related to coal block allocation that are not traceable will be located and given to CBI within time stipulated by the Supreme Court, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

If the government is unable to locate the papers, a report will be filed with the CBI for proper probe, Dr. Singh added.

Eleven ammunition technicians of the Royal Bhutan Army (RBA) were killed yesterday in Haa, after the unserviceable ammunition they were trying to dispose of exploded around 10am.

Another five, in critical condition, were airlifted to Thimphu referral hospital yesterday afternoon, while another five, including a storekeeper and a driver, are recovering at the IMTRAT hospital in Haa.

Islamabad:Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's party is set to restore "violent jihadist content" removed from school textbooks in Pakistan's militancy-racked Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, according to a media report today.

After the secular-leaning Awami National Party (ANP) came to power in the province in 2008, education officials removed Quranic verses preaching jihad or holy war and illustrations depicting weapons or violence.

KUALA LUMPUR : Malaysia's government said on Monday it would cut fuel subsidies for the first time in nearly two years to save RM3.3 billion (S$1.3 billion) annually as part of crucial budget reforms.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said the reductions are needed to trim the budget deficit and strengthen economic fundamentals to boost investor confidence.

FRANCE: French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said there would be no vote during Wednesday's parliamentary debate on the Syria crisis, adding that there was no doubt that Damascus was behind a deadly chemical attack.

Asaram capable of sexual assault: Police

Jodhpur: Controversial preacher Asaram Bapu, arrested from his Indore ashram for sexually assaulting the 16-year-old daughter of a follower by Jodhpur police, was on Sunday subjected to a "potency test", which confirmed that the 72-year-old's libido is active. He was made to take the test after he told cops that he was impotent and therefore incapable of committing the crime he was charged with.

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.

Death toll rises to 84 in Pakistan floods

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.

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