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Monday, June 10, 2013

String of bombings kill 12 in Iraq market: officials

BAQUBA: Three near-simultaneous bombings -- two car bombs and a suicide attack -- killed at least a dozen people in a fruit and vegetable wholesale market north of Baghdad on Monday, officials said.

The blasts went off in the town of Judaida al-Shat, which lies just west of the restive city of Baquba and remains one of Iraq's most dangerous.

The bombings left another 48 people wounded, a police officer and a medic said.

QUETTA: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) issued non-bailable arrest warrants against former dictator Pervez Musharraf and former prime minister Shaukat Aziz in connection with the Akbar Bugti murder case on Monday, reported Express News.

The arrest warrants were issued due to repeated absence from the court. The former governor of Balochistan, Owais Ghani and former deputy commissioner of Dera Bugti, Samad Lasi were also included in the list of issued arrest warrants.

Javed Hashmi withdraws calling Nawaz Sharif his leader

MULTAN: Senior leader of Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf Javed Hashmi on Sunday, June 9, announced the withdrawal of his remarks made in the National Assembly that Nawaz Sharif was his leader and will always be his leader.

At a press conference Javed Hashmi said his supporters and voters from his constituency did not like the remarks therefore he was withdrawing them.

However, Hashmi accused media and some anchors for fueling the controversy. He said that he had made the remarks out of respect.

PESHAWAR: Six people were killed when militants attacked three Nato containers in Shagai area of Jamrud tehsil of the Khyber tribal region on Monday.

Security forces were engaged in a firefight with the militants who attacked the containers and set them on fire.

As a result, six people, including the drivers of the containers were killed.

Khyber is among Pakistan’s seven semi-autonomous tribal districts near the Afghan border, rife with homegrown insurgents and home to a number of militant organisations.

New Delhi: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani on Monday resigned from all party posts just a day after party President Rajnath Singh made Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi the chief of Central Election Committee for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The resignation of Advani, who was reportedly sick and ignored by the party top leadership at the two-day National Executive meet in Goa, brings the split within the party out in the open. Advani's resignation has stunned the BJP leaders to silence, who are refusing to speak on the issue. BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu met Rajnath Singh a few minutes after Advani's resignation.

QUETTA: Five bullet-riddled bodies were recovered in different parts of Balochistan on Sunday, June 9.According to levies sources, three bodies were found in Johan area of Kalat. They said that the dead bodies were almost one month old. The victims belonged to Bibi Nani area of Bolan district and they were kidnapped a month ago by armed gunmen.

QUETTA: Announcing the abolition of secret funds in his address to the provincial assembly soon after taking oath as the 14th Chief Minister of Balochistan, Dr Abdul Malik Baloch on Sunday said he would rule with respect and prefer resignation to compromising on principles.

Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi administered the oath of office to Dr Malik at the Governor’s House. Acting Chief Minister Nawab Ghous Bukhsh Barozai, Speaker Mir Jan Muhammad Khan Jamali, Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Alam Khan Khattak, IG Frontier Corps (FC) Maj.

The Ministry of Haj has decided to limit the validity of Umrah visas to only 14 days because of the ongoing work to expand the mataf — the open area around the Holy Kaaba.

According to a circular sent two days ago to Umrah agencies in the Kingdom and Saudi missions abroad, the new rule comes into effect from Monday, June 10.

There will be no one-month visas this year.

Two killed in gunfight at Lebanese checkpoint near Syria

BEIRUT: Two men died in clashes near a Lebanese army checkpoint on Thursday, a security source said, in a possible spillover from the recent fighting in the nearby Syrian border town of Qusair.

Forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad seized Qusair on Wednesday after two weeks of fighting during which some people escaped towards the Lebanese town of Arsal, close to where the gunfight happened.

The security source said one of the dead gunmen was a Syrian national, while the second man was not carrying any ID.

Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahbaz Sharif won the coveted slot of chief minister Punjab for a third time with 300 votes and more than two-third majority.His opponent, PTI’s Mian Mahmoodur Rashid, secured only 34 votes. Moreover, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) abstained from voting in today’s election.Sharif will take oath of office at governor’s house in the evening.

Philadelphia: Philadelphia's mayor says the collapse of a downtown building that was being demolished has killed six people.

Mayor Michael Nutter discussed the accident and the search and rescue attempts on Wednesday night.

Fire officials earlier had reported one woman was killed and 13 people were injured in the accident. But body bags were removed from the rubble hours later.

NAYPYIDAW: Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Thursday declared her intention to run for the presidency as she sets her sights on elections due to be held in 2015.

Addressing world leaders and heads of business at a major forum in the capital Naypyidaw, the Nobel Peace laureate called for the amendment of the military-drafted constitution which prevents her from leading the country.

“I want to run for president and I'm quite frank about it,” the veteran democracy activist told delegates at the World Economic Forum on East Asia.

WASHINGTON: The United States welcomed the swearing-in of Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday as a “significant milestone” in the nation’s democracy.

“We look forward to working with him and the newly democratically elected government of Pakistan,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

“The United States stands with all Pakistanis in welcoming this historic, largely peaceful and transparent transfer of civilian power, which is a significant milestone in Pakistan’s democratic progress.”

QUETTA: At least two alleged terrorists, two women and a child were killed in a joint operation carried out by police and Frontier Constabulary in Quetta’s Kharotabad area early morning, SAMAA reports Thursday.

The exchange of fire with militants also left 16 security men injured when the law enforcers raided a house in Kharotabad neighborhood of Quetta on a tip off that some militants were hiding there.

Six workers die in Sharjah pesticide factory fire

Sharjah: The Sharjah pesticide factory fire left six workers dead.

Four workers out of eight injured in the fire that broke out on Sunday and moved to the hospital died on Tuesday, while the police recovered two charred bodies of workers from the site on Wednesday. The dead are of Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationalities.

Dubai: A jobless Indian has committed suicide in a cemetery in Dubai, leaving the community stunned and shaken.

Social workers said Arun S.R, 32, may have spent a couple of nights at the old cemetery in Bur Dubai, opposite Dubai Creek, before hanging himself from a tree on April 24. His body was handed over to his family in Peroorkada of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala on May 30.

Uma Padmanabhan, a Dubai-based social worker, told XPRESS a cleaner in the area noticed the body at the cemetery and informed the police. “The victim had nothing on him except his pyjamas, a pair of slippers and a wristwatch. We are told that a blanket and a pillow were also recovered from the site.”

Ethem Sarisülük, a Turkish activist who was wounded in the head during Taksim Gezi Park clashes in the capital city of Ankara, has succumbed to his injuries, a representative of the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) said during a press meeting in Ankara today.

Sarisülük, whose brain death was declared earlier, became the third person killed in protests, the representative said after a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arinç.

KARACHI: Businesses and educational institutions in Karachi and other cities of Sindh were shut on Thursday, after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) announced a day of mourning to protest against the killings of its three party workers in Malir.

Moreover, schools, shops and petrol stations were closed in Karachi. Earlier, the traders, transporters and fuel stations associations unanimously announced that they would stay away from their businesses for both support and ‘security’ reasons. Several localities in Karachi gave a deserted look.

Democracy the only way forward, says Nawaz

ISLAMABAD: After being elected to the office of the prime minister with 244 votes, Nawaz Sharif addressed the National Assembly and vowed to fulfill the mandate entrusted upon him by the people of Pakistan.Prime Minister Sharif thanked the MNAs who voted in today’s election and said the people’s verdict had shown that democracy was the only way forward.The prime minister said he was heartened to see that the people had spoken and that there was no room left for any misadventures sabotaging the democratic process in Pakistan.

Government facilitating settlement of Pakistanis in state: Panun Kashmir

The Panun Kashmir (PK), a frontal organisation of displaced Kashmiri Hindus, today alleged that the Omar Abdullah government was facilitating the settlement of Pakistani nationals in the state in the name of “rehabilitating former terrorists who illegally crossed over to Pakistan for arms training in the 1990s”.

Members of the organisation alleged that the Central government was allowing violation of national and international laws and Pakistani nationals, mostly wives and children of terrorists, were illegally travelling from Nepal to Jammu and Kashmir to seek benefits from the government.

PK president Ashwani Kumar Chrangoo released a document prepared by the organisation, ‘Policy and procedure for return of ex-militants to Jammu and Kashmir state’, at a press conference here. He said the rehabilitation policy announced by the Omar-led government was openly against the interests of the country.

The SGPC has deposited a court fee of Rs 10 crore in the 28-year-old legal battle seeking Rs 1,000 crore in compensation from the Union Government for the damages caused to the Golden Temple during the 1984 Operation Bluestar.

SGPC president Avtar Singh Makkar said they had deposited the fee in the Delhi High Court, which admitted their plea and fixed the next date of hearing in October.

KARACHI: In a highly controversial move, Caretaker Prime Minister Justice (retd) Mir Hazar Khan Khoso has approved one prohibited bore and four non-prohibited bore arms licences for himself and all the caretaker cabinet members.

The summary in this regard was moved by the outgoing Interior Minister Malik Habib few days ago. But the caretaker prime minister approved the summary on Tuesday morning, hours before he was awarded guard of honour at the PM House.

An aggressive all-round display by India, including another match-winning century from Dinesh Karthik and a five-wicket haul from Umesh Yadav, inflicted a stinging 243-run defeat on Australia in the teams' second warm-up match.

Karthik was the batting star of the match, scoring his second consecutive ton in the warm-up fixtures, strengthening his case for a place in India's starting XI in the tournament. "I think he has earned his place in the side and we'll just have to see who misses out when we play against South Africa," MS Dhoni said after the game. "I'd like him to play at the top of the order but we'll [have to wait and] see."

Tehran : Iran`s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Tuesday that the country`s next president should avoid making "concessions" to the west, saying this would not ease tensions over Tehran`s nuclear drive.

Khamenei is the ultimate decision maker in Iran and has the final say on all key issues, including its controversial nuclear programme, a major source of concern in the West over suspicions the Islamic republic is using it to develop weapons.

"Some (candidates) have the wrong analysis that by giving concessions to enemies, their anger towards Iran will be reduced," Khamenei said in a live televised speech. "This is a mistake."

Washington: US Vice President Joe Biden says only Turks can solve the problem of anti-government protests sowing unrest in Turkey. But he says the US is concerned and isn't indifferent to the outcome.

Thousands have joined rallies voicing discontent with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 10-year rule. The protests spread after police cracked down on a peaceful sit-in over an Istanbul park's demolition.

ISLAMABAD: On the last day of the caretaker government of Prime Minister Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, the Supreme Court suspended all postings, transfers and deputations ordered by him.

In continuation of a directive given by the court on May 22, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry asked the secretaries of the establishment and cabinet divisions and the health ministry to furnish by Wednesday the list of appointments, transfers, postings and removal of government officers done by the interim government.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday ordered former Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani to appear before the court within four weeks time.

A bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, was hearing the 'Memogate scandal' case here Tuesday.

Haqqani was first named in the 'memogate' controversy by US businessman Mansoor Ijaz who accused the former ambassador of asking him (Ijaz) to deliver a contentious memo to Washington, asking for its help in reining in Pakistan's military days after the May 2, 2011 US raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound.

ISLAMABAD: In a telephone call to the Pakistani Foreign Office on Tuesday, India's foreign secretary apologised to his Islamabad counterpart over the mistreatment of a Pakistani diplomat in New Delhi, diplomatic sources told DawnNews.

Pakistan's First Secretary (Trade) Zargam Raza and his driver Haider were beaten up by a group of men while the former was returning home from the High Commission Monday evening.

DHAKA: Former Bangladesh cricket captain Mohammad Ashraful was suspended from the sport on Tuesday after he confessed his involvement in fixing, a top cricket official said.

The International Cricket Council's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has been probing allegations of match-fixing during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), a Twenty20 competition.

“As Ashraful has confessed his involvement in fixing to the ACSU team, so he should not be allowed to play any level of cricket until we get a full report of the investigation,” Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan told reporters.

ISLAMABAD: Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of Islamabad High Court on Tuesday recused himself from the bench hearing the appeal challenging the cancellation of Pervez Musharraf's bail in the judges' detention case on account of what he called a smear campaign against him on social networking websites.

Justice Siddiqui dissociated himself from the IHC's divisional bench, comprising himself and Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan, at the start of today's hearing of the appeal.

The appeal was filed against the rejection of the former military ruler’s post-arrest bail petition by the Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) of Islamabad.

BRUSSELS: As NATO defence ministers began a two-day meeting here on Tuesday, the alliance secretary-general ruled out an immediate decision on the number of troops that would stay in Afghanistan post 2014.

“I wouldn’t expect this meeting to make decisions on the exact number of troops and trainers after 2014,” Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters. NATO and ISAF defence ministers would adopt guidelines for the new mission in Afghanistan, he said.

About the shape of the Resolute Support mission, beginning in 2015, he said certain elements were already clear and that it would be a non-combat campaign with a much smaller number of troops and trainers.

New Delhi: There is more trouble for arrested cricketers S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan in the IPL spot-fixing case. They have been sent to judicial custody till June 18 along with 21 others.

Prosecution has invoked the harsh Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act against them. But the police have not decided on whether MCOCA will be applicable to all those arrested in the case.

MCOCA is one of the most stringent laws. It provides for any confession made in front of the DCP in Delhi or the SP in any other state to be accepted as evidence.

The U.S. Embassy to Turkey has issued a warning to its citizens in Turkey about potential violence, the Hürriyet Daily News has learned.

The embassy issued a warning letter for the attention of American citizens, reminding of the tension in the country that has been ongoing since last week.

The Daily News has also learned that U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone has canceled a trip to the U.S. due to the ongoing unrest in Turkey. He had been due to attend an American-Turkish Council meeting.

ISLAMABAD: Nawaz Sharif, whose nomination papers for the prime minister's election were submitted today, is set to become prime minister for the third time after his party secured simple majority in the newly-elected National Assembly.

The nomination was submitted by Ishaq Dar, Tariq Fazal, Khawaja Asif and Abdul Qadir Baloch on Sharif's behalf.

Moreover, Amin Fahim, who also submitted his nomination papers is the Pakistan Peoples Party's candidate for premiership.

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army started on Monday war games codenamed Azm-i-Nau (New Resolve) IV to update its readiness strategy for dealing with the complex security threat environment.

“This Army War Game is the culmination of the series of such exercises and aims at validation and crystallisation of operational plans prepared in view of the emerging threat environment,” a military spokesman said about the exercise being held at the National Defence University, Islamabad.

The drill is taking place amid renewed fears of chaos and instability in Afghanistan after withdrawal of coalition forces in 2014, continuing internal threat of terrorism and India’s growing regional ambitions.

New Delhi: The Delhi Police have arrested a woman and her nephew, who were travelling on the two-wheeler that hit a Pakistani envoy's car on Monday. Both have been accused of rash and negligent driving, among other charges.

The action came after Pakistan issued a strong statement seeking a thorough probe into the incident. Trouble began after Pakistan's First Secretary Zirgham Raza's car hit a woman and her nephew on a two-wheeler and an argument broke out.

Pakistan 207 for 4 (Farhat 56, Hafeez 54 retired) beat South Africa 202 for 9 (McLaren 55, Duminy 43, Wahab 3-30, Asad 3-30) by six wickets.

There were enough Pakistan supporters at The Oval to give the impression that this warm-up ahead of the Champions Trophy mattered, but in essence it was pointless, not just in terms of the group stages but also in the general scheme of things.

Pakistan will claim a psychological advantage after breezing to a six-wicket victory against South Africa with more than four overs to spare, they were vastly superior throughout and their supporters celebrated a well-drilled victory with their usual enthusiasm, but it will not much matter in the morning.

ANKARA: A 22-year-old man died in a hospital after being shot during anti-government protests in southern Turkey, the NTV television reported Tuesday.

“Abdullah Comert was seriously wounded… after gunfire from an unidentified person,” the station reported, quoting a statement from the local governor’s office in the Hatay province.

He died in hospital on Monday, the private station added.

Mumbai: Bollywood actress Jiah Khan was found dead in her apartment in Juhu, Mumbai on late Monday night. The police suspect it is a case of suicide but no suicide note found so far. Jiah was found dead around 10.45 pm on Monday by her mother.

The police also claim that there are some marks on Jiah's neck. A post-mortem has been ordered. Her body was taken in an ambulance to Dr RN Cooper Municipal General Hospital in Juhu for post-mortem. Jiah is believed to have hung herself to death.

Turkish protesters turn Istanbul mosque into makeshift hospital

ISTANBUL :A total of 173 people were injured in clashes between protesters and policemen in the nationwide protests in the past week, according to Turkish authorities on Monday.

Turkish Interior Minister Muammer Guler said that 115 police officers and 58 protesters were injured in the anti-government demonstrations which were staged last week by a group of protesters in Istanbul Taksim's Gezi Park to stand guard against the uprooting of trees.Protesters used a mosque in Istanbul’s Besiktas district near the prime minister’s office as a makeshift hospital following attacks by police early in the hours of June 3.

CHANGCHUN : The death toll from a fire at a poultry slaughterhouse in northeast China's Jilin Province has risen to 119 as of Monday afternoon, the rescue commanding center said.

As of 4:25 p.m., the fire that broke out around 6:06 a.m. at a workshop owned by the Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Company in Mishazi Township of Dehui City had also injured dozens of others.

KABUL: A suicide bomb attack targeting US and Afghan forces killed nine children heading home from school in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, officials said.

One policeman was also killed and two coalition soldiers were among about 16 people wounded, Zalmai Uriakhail, the police chief of Paktia province, told AFP of the attack, which used an explosives-packed motorcycle.

TEHRAN : Afghan Foreign Ministry Spokesman Janan Mosazai underlined the need for the further expansion of ties and cooperation between Iran and Afghanistan.The Afghan foreign ministry spokesman pointed to the good and friendly relations between Iran and Afghanistan, calling "Iran a very good neighbor".

"Iran has always supported the Afghan government in its campaign against terrorism," Mosazai said.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim said on Monday that his party would nominate a candidate for the prime minister’s election scheduled to take place on Wednesday.

Speaking to media representatives in front of Parliament House, Fahim said the PPP received two requests from PML-N leaders urging it to support their candidates for the elections of speaker and prime minister.

“The party accepted the request for the speaker’s election but rejected the other request for supporting Nawaz Sharif to be elected as prime minister,” Fahim said.

Patna: Senior BJP leader CP Thakur on Sunday said the party wants to win the hearts of Muslims through development in the party-ruled states, and does not want to "mislead them by providing skull caps". "The BJP neither intends to mislead Muslims by providing skull caps for them in the party-ruled states nor wants to advertise their photographs with the minority people in the newspapers.... all the BJP wants is carry out development and welfare works for the minorities and win their hearts in the process," Thakur, BJP national vice-president said at the meeting of the party's minority front in Patna.

KABUL: A Taliban spokesman has confirmed that the Afghan insurgents have sent a delegation to Iran for three days of talks. The unprecedented meeting signals that Iran could be seeking the role of regional mediator between the Taliban and Kabul.

Spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said Monday in an email that emissaries from the Taliban's political office met with Iranian officials over the weekend.

TEHRAN :The Iranian intelligence ministry announced that it has disbanded a terrorist cell tasked with conducting sabotage activities concurrent with June 14 presidential election in Iran.

In a statement released on Sunday, the intelligence ministry said it has managed to identify and arrest all members of the terrorist cell after finding traces and gathering accurate information about the cell's activities and mission.

N Srinivasan will not carry out his duties as BCCI president until the commission appointed to conduct an inquiry into the betting and spot-fixing charges in IPL 2013 completes its task. During this period Jagmohan Dalmiya, a former BCCI president and current head of the Cricket Association of Bengal, will run the daily affairs of the board.

Islamabad: In a landmark move, Ramesh Singh Arora, the first Sikh who was nominated by the Pakistan Muslim League (N), was sworn in as a member of the Punjab Provincial Assembly in Lahore on Saturday.

Mr Arora has termed it an honour to be the PML (N)'s representative, adding he would now be able to raise critical issues related to the safety and well-being of minorities in Pakistan on a priority basis.

TEHRAN :Iran and Indonesia signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on mutual trade cooperation.

The MoU was signed during a meeting between Head of Iran's Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) Hamid Safdel and Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia-Pacific Affairs Yuri Octavian Thamrin earlier this week.

Octavian Thamrin, heading a high-ranking delegation, arrived in Tehran on a three-day visit starting on Monday to attend the fifth meeting of Iran-Indonesia Political Consultative Committee.

KARACHI: After the poor showing of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in the May 11 parliamentary elections, President Asif Ali Zardari says he will not seek another term in office.

Asif Zardari was elected to the Presidency on September 6, 2008 and his five-year constitutional term expires in September 2013.

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