 |
|
|
Somalia govt asks Islamic forces to surrender
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Tsunami threat does not materialise
No quick solution on Kashmir: Kasuri
Saudi Arabia frees 18 ex-Guantanamo detainees
Amartya
blames ‘flawed’ intellectuals Cocaine on 94% of Spanish banknotes
A season of phony absences
LTTE kidnaps 4 fishermen
|
|
Bloodbath continues in Iraq, 36 killed
Baghdad, December 26 Sunni insurgent groups including al Qaeda have launched bomb attacks against markets and other civilian targets in Shi'ite and mixed areas. Such attacks fuel reprisals assaults by Shi'ite militias against Sunni Arabs, deepening Iraq's sectarian cycle of violence. Meanwhile, gunmen kidnapped a senior Trade Ministry official, Muhanad Ahmed Saleh, in Baghdad on Tuesday after stopping his vehicle on his way to work. Baghdad is plagued by kidnappings. Many are political abductions by armed groups on either side of Iraq's Shi'ite-Sunni sectarian violence. Some kidnappings are carried out by criminal gangs seeking extortion money. Backed by tanks, British soldiers raided a police station in the southern city of Basra, killing seven gunmen in an effort to stop renegade Iraqi officers from executing their prisoners, the British military said. Another US soldier died in southern Baghdad, meanwhile, raising the death toll for American troops in Iraq to 2,972 - one less than the number of people killed in the September 11, 2001, attacks. After the British stormed the Basra police station, they removed the prisoners, who showed evidence of torture, then evacuated the building before blowing it up. The operation yesterday showed how closely aligned some police units are with militias and death squads and the challenges coalition forces face as they transfer authority for security to Iraqis. "We had intelligence to indicate that the serious crimes unit would execute its prisoners in the coming days, so we decided to intervene," a Saleh said. In the Basra raid, the British set out to arrest officers with the station's serious crimes unit who were suspected of involvement with Shi’ite death squads. Seven members of the rogue police unit were apprehended three days ago in other raids, said a British spokeswoman. — Agencies
|
|
Somalia govt asks Islamic forces to surrender
Mogadishu, December 26 Government and Ethiopian troops will not persecute Islamists for their beliefs, if they lay down their weapons and stop opposing the internationally-backed government, said Abdirahman Dinari, the government spokesman. "We call for the Islamic courts militia to surrender to the government before they are punished by the government," Dinari said from Baidoa, the seat of the government in central Somalia. Islamic fighters were in a tactical retreat today, said Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed, leader of the Council of Islamic Courts' executive body. Government and Ethiopian troops advanced on three fronts in a decisive turnaround in the battle for control of Somalia. John Prendergast, a senior adviser with the International Crisis Group, said the war "dangerously escalates regional tensions and leaves the Horn of Africa less secure than it has been in a long time." The African Union, Arab League and a regional group known as IGAD, were scheduled to take up Somalia at meeting tomorrow designed to resume the peace process. But Ahmed rejected any suggestion of resuming peace talks and appeared unbowed by his group's losses. Meanwhile, the fighting in Somalia has wounded more than 800 persons and displaced thousands, the International Committee of the Red Cross said here today, after clashes between pro-government and Islamist forces. AP/ AFP
|
|
Tsunami threat does not materialise
Taipei (Taiwan), December 26 An official at Japan’s Meteorological Agency said there was no longer any danger of a destructive tsunami headed for the Philippines, as had been predicted. “The expected waves did not materialise,” said Hiroshi Koide of the agency’s earthquake section. “The danger has passed.” The quake, with a preliminary magnitude of between 6.7 and 7.2, was felt throughout Taiwan. It destroyed two homes in the southern city of Pingtung, trapping six people, ETTV cable news reported. The quake also triggered fires and gas leaks, the station said. No deaths were immediately reported.
— AP
|
|
No quick solution on Kashmir: Kasuri
Islamabad, December 26 In an interview to the Geo TV channel yesterday, Kasuri said there is no possibility of a sudden announcement of any solution to the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. "Our Constitution too provides that any solution to this issue is to be made in accordance with the wishes of the people of the region, who are the actual party in this conflict," he said. The final decision on Kashmir would be taken by the Parliament, he said, adding that there was no concrete step on the issue yet and only ideas were being floated for brainstorming on both sides of border. The foreign minister, however, maintained that there were some hurdles in the way of settlement of the Siachen and Sir Creek issues. He was referring to the on-going talks between Pakistan and India on these issues. A political will was needed to reach final agreement on these issues, he said. On the Iran, Pakistan, India gas pipeline, Kasuri said he made it clear to the Iranian leadership during his Tehran visit that they needed to fix some benchmark on the pricing. — PTI
|
|
Saudi Arabia frees 18 ex-Guantanamo detainees
Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) December 26 The men were among 28 Saudi nationals and one resident handed over this year by the US from the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba, it said. The Muslim kingdom had released 11 detainees earlier this month. The official Saudi Press Agency , quoting Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour bin Sultan al-Turki said Saudi Arabia would continue efforts to secure the return of other Saudi citizens. It did not say how many Saudis remained in US custody at the controversial prison camp. Many of the men held at Guantanamo Bay were captured in Afghanistan in the US-led war to oust the Taliban after the September 11 attacks. Many have been held for years and nearly all are being held without charge. Most of the 19 suicide hijackers who carried out the attackson US cities in 2001 were Saudis. Washington has designated Guantanamo prisoners as "enemy combatants", denying them the prisoner of war status that would guarantee them certain rights under international law. Public anger over the treatment of Saudi detainees in Guantanamo, now holding around 395 prisoners, has been high in the Gulf Arab state, a key USally. Two Saudis were among three prisoners who hanged themselves in June at the prison. — Reuters
|
|
‘Buddha boy’ reappears in Nepal
Kathmandu, December 26 Ram Bahadur Bomjan, 16, popularly known as the "Buddha boy" was first sighted by some hunters in the jungle. Bomjan was carrying a sword for self-defence. "Lord Buddha used to arrange his security by himself. So, I was forced to do so myself," he told journalists, in response to a query. The boy, who reportedly meditated for months without taking food or water, caught the media attention last year.
— PTI
|
|
|
Amartya blames ‘flawed’ intellectuals Dhaka, December 26 Such a trend has vitiated the political and intellectual domains as well as obstructing citizens in general from enjoying human rights, Sen told a function held to mark the 20th anniversary of Ain-O-Salish Kendra (ASK), a leading human rights and legal aid group of Bangladesh. His call came as Bangladesh prepares for its most contentious general election due Jan 22. The election has been marked by protests and violence. Sen said this kind of politics had led to "battles, alarming categorization in British society on the basis of religious identity and flawed intellectuals joining hands with low politics". The 1998 Nobel Prize winner for economics voiced concern at the growth of religious extremism in the form of Hindutva or Muslim fundamentalism that he said was destroying secular feelings and creating intolerance, the New Age Tuesday quoted him as saying. Sen made the observations while delivering the Salma Sobhan Memorial Lecture at the National Museum's auditorium Monday. Sen, who arrived in Bangladesh on Sunday, hailed women's agencies for playing an active role in broadening the campaign for better treatment of women to equal rights for all.
— Indo-Asian News Service
|
|
Cocaine on 94% of Spanish banknotes Madrid, December 26 The 100 notes tested were collected in gyms, supermarkets and pharmacies across Spain, where increased affluence and falling street prices have made the drug more and more accessible. Cocaine now sells for as little as 60 euros (40 pounds) a gram, or 5 euros ($7) a line, and it is regularly used by 1.6 per cent of Spaniards, up from 0.9 per cent in 1999, a government report said this month. Law enforcement agencies say cocaine is getting cheaper and more popular in Europe because of efforts to boost production by Colombian paramilitaries and rebels who need money for weapons. Spain is a major entry point to Europe for the smugglers. It was not clear how many of the notes had been used to snort cocaine and how many had picked up traces from other bills, according to the study by the Sailab laboratory, published in the daily El
Mundo. — AP
|
|
A season of phony absences
New York, December 26 “We do know just anecdotally in dealing with employers that there certainly is a higher rate ...associated with holidays, catching up on shopping, or spending time with family and friends,” said Jennifer Sullivan, spokeswoman for Career Builder.com, which conducts an annual survey of employee absenteeism. “You do see a higher incidence”. The firm’s survey, released this week, showed 32 per cent of workers said they called in sick when they felt fine at least once in the last year, and one in 10 said they did so three times or more. Women were more likely to take a sick day when they are not sick than men, by 37 to 26 per cent, the survey said.
— Reuters
|
|
LTTE kidnaps 4 fishermen
Ramanathapuram, December 26
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
