W O R L D

5 Al-Qaida suspects held
Peshawar, March 10
Pakistani intelligence agents arrested five Al-Qaida suspects in the northwest city of Peshawar at the weekend, the police said today. “There was a raid by the secret agencies. The police were not informed,” a government official told AFP, referring to intelligence agencies who usually conduct raids without involving the local police.

Lure of dollars led to Khalid’s arrest?
New York, March 10
The lure of 25 million dollars may have made a radical Egyptian to turn over Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, described as the “brain” behind al-Qaida’s operations.

A man drives a tractor decorated with a poster of Osama bin Laden in Hyderabad, 160 km from Karachi, on Monday. The US military in Afghanistan said on Monday it had launched no operations specifically targeting Osama since the arrest of one of his key lieutenants in Pakistan last week. — Reuters

GLOBAL MONITOR

Actress Renee Zellweger holds two awards - 'outstanding actress in a motion picture' and 'outstanding cast in a motion picture', both for her role in “Chicago,” at the ninth Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angles on Sunday. — Reuters

Pak to raise Kashmir issue at OIC meeting
Dubai, March 10
Terming as “rubbish” India’s assertions that cross-border infiltration continued in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan has said it would raise the Kashmir issue at an Organisation of Islamic Conference ministerial-level meeting, though it was not part of official business.

N. Korea test-fires missile
Seoul, March 10
North Korea test-fired a missile into the sea off its east coast today, South Korea’s Defence Ministry said. There had been indications that North Korea was planning to fire a missile.

A South Korean policeman talks on a walkie-talkie at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul on Monday. North Korea fired a cruise missile on Monday in an apparent move to press for nuclear negotiations with the USA.— Reuters photo

‘LTTE arms ship’ destroyed
Colombo, March 10
The Sri Lankan Navy destroyed a suspected arms ship of the Tamil Tiger rebels this morning, about 170 nautical miles north-east of Mullaitivu where the rebels have their main base, a top-ranking navy official said.

Strike hits normal life
Dhaka, March 10
At least 25 persons, including students, were picked up by the police from different parts of Bangladesh today during a day-long general strike called by 11 Left parties and supported by the Awami League, which disrupted normal life all over the country.

A lantern bears an illustration of US President George W. Bush as the Messiah standing waist-deep in oil at the "Morgestraich" carnival of Basel, Switzerland, on Monday. On the stroke of 4 am, the street lighting of the whole town is put out and the carnival groups play their first march called "Morgestraich" which starts the traditional carnival of Basel. Only the carnival lanterns illuminate the town, dealing with actual events, which is made fun of. — Reuters

5 Al-Qaida suspects held

Peshawar, March 10
Pakistani intelligence agents arrested five Al-Qaida suspects in the northwest city of Peshawar at the weekend, the police said today.

“There was a raid by the secret agencies. The police were not informed,” a government official told AFP, referring to intelligence agencies who usually conduct raids without involving the local police.

Two Afghans, one Iraqi, one Iranian and another Middle Eastern man of unspecified nationality were picked up in the pre-dawn raid on Sunday on the outskirts of Peshawar, 40 km from the Afghan border.

Documents and computer compact discs were also seized.

Pakistani and US Al-Qaida hunters have stepped up the 18-month search for the terror network’s chief Osama bin Laden and his top aides — including his sons and Egyptian deputy Ayman al-Zawahri — since the March 1 capture of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Mohammed, believed to be Al-Qaida’s terror operations chief and ranked third after Laden and Al-Zawahri, was arrested in Rawalpindi along with September 11, 2001, terror attacks financier Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi, a Saudi national.

The authorities say information recovered from documents and computer CDs found on the pair after the March 1 raid has provided them with their deepest insight yet into the Al-Qaida’s workings, and given vital leads into the possible hideouts of Laden and his aides. AFP

Lure of dollars led to Khalid’s arrest?

New York, March 10
The lure of 25 million dollars may have made a radical Egyptian to turn over Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, described as the “brain” behind al-Qaida’s operations.

An Egyptian, who was arrested in a raid of an al-Qaida safehouse in Pakistan’s border town of Quetta, made a deal with the USA to reveal Khalid’s whereabouts in exchange for money, a Middle-East intelligence official is quoted as saying in a report in the coming issue of American news magazine, Newsweek. The Egyptian, who was not identified, offered to dime out Mohammed, but demanded an additional 2 million dollars to relocate to Britain with his family.

A law-enforcement official told Newsweek that the USA agreed to pay the reward to an unidentified informant, but wouldn’t discuss details. PTI 

Pak to raise Kashmir issue at OIC meeting

Dubai, March 10
Terming as “rubbish” India’s assertions that cross-border infiltration continued in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan has said it would raise the Kashmir issue at an Organisation of Islamic Conference ministerial-level meeting, though it was not part of official business.

The Pakistan Information Minister, Mr Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, who was in Abu Dhabi on his way to attend the OIC information ministers’ meeting in Cairo, said he would raise the Kashmir issue at the two-day meeting of the 56-nation grouping, beginning today.

He said New Delhi’s assertions about Pakistan-backed infiltration of militants into Kashmir were “rubbish”, adding India should accept Islamabad’s proposal to increase the number of UN observers along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir to monitor any infiltration, The Khaleej Times reported.

Pakistan, during a UN Security Council debate on Iraq a few days ago, raked up the Kashmir issue to the surprise of the diplomats, asserting that it was Islamabad’s policy to raise the matter at every forum, but failed to generate response from the members. Pakistan is a non-permanent member of the 15-member Security Council.

The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, had spoken to the US President, Mr George W. Bush, over the telephone on March 4 and conveyed the Indian position that it was willing to resume dialogue with Pakistan on all issues when Islamabad stopped cross-border terrorism.

Mr Bush assured him that the USA continued to apply pressure on Pakistan on the matter of cross-border terrorism, particularly asking it to ensure that infiltration did not increase as the snows melt. PTI

N. Korea test-fires missile

Seoul, March 10
North Korea test-fired a missile into the sea off its east coast today, South Korea’s Defence Ministry said. There had been indications that North Korea was planning to fire a missile. The Pentagon had earlier cited a North Korean warning to ships to stay out of a sector of the Sea of Japan from Saturday to Tuesday. Major Kim Ki-Beom, a spokesman at the Defence Ministry, said the missile was believed to be an anti-ship missile similar to one that North Korea test-fired on February 24. AP 

‘LTTE arms ship’ destroyed

Colombo, March 10
The Sri Lankan Navy destroyed a suspected arms ship of the Tamil Tiger rebels this morning, about 170 nautical miles north-east of Mullaitivu where the rebels have their main base, a top-ranking navy official said.

Upon being alerted by one of the neighbouring countries of a mysterious ship in the international sea waters waiting to enter the Sri Lankan waters, an off-shore patrol vessel spotted the ship and ordered it to halt for checking.

“The ship did not comply with our orders, though we fired some warning shots in the air. But the men on board fired at our vessel damaging it and wounding four sailors. We fired back at the ship, which caught fire and sank in the deep sea subsequently,’’ the naval official said on condition of anonymity.

“Considering the location and sequence of the incident, we strongly suspect that it could have carried weapons and fuel for the LTTE,’’ he said.

According to another defence official, upon receiving information on the presence of a suspected LTTE arms ship, the Navy was placed on the red alert last night. A surveillance beachcraft of the Sri Lankan Air Force was deployed in these areas in the morning to look for the target. UNI

Strike hits normal life

Dhaka, March 10
At least 25 persons, including students, were picked up by the police from different parts of Bangladesh today during a day-long general strike called by 11 Left parties and supported by the Awami League, which disrupted normal life all over the country.

The strike disrupted normal life throughout the country. Business houses, educational institutions and shops in the capital and in major cities and towns remained closed. PTI

GLOBAL MONITOR

ANTI-TERRORISM SQUAD
BEIJING: China’s capital has formed a 1,000-strong anti-terrorist squad since the September 11 attacks, Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing Wen Wei Po newspaper said on Monday. The Communist Party and the city government had allocated funds for the formation of the squad, it said. It gave no figure and did not say when the squad was set up. Reuters

JAMES BOND-STYLE JAGUAR
LONDON: In addition to bunker-type rooms, British Prime Minister Tony Blair will get a new James Bond-style armour-plated Jaguar to protect him from ambush by terrorists using poison gas, rockets or high explosives. The government has placed orders for three such custom-built vehicles each costing £ 200,000. They are fitted with compressed air systems to enable Mr Blair and his entourage to breathe in a poison gas attack. PTI

AUCTION OF POP MEMORABILIA
MADRID: “Can’t buy me love” sang the Beatles, but $ 1,550 was enough to land a Barcelona hairdresser a lock of hair snipped from George Harrison in 1964. “It went to a hairdresser from Barcelona called Rafael Pages, who also has a hairdressing museum,” said Jordi Tarda, an organiser of Sunday’s auction of pop memorabilia at an annual record fair in the north-eastern Spanish town of Girona. Reuters

SIX BURNT TO DEATH
CHITTAGONG: At least six persons were burnt to death in a fire at a slum in this Bangladesh port city which also left some 600 poor families homeless, the police said. The fire began before dawn in the crowded slum known as Burma Colony near the industrial Nasirabad district. AFP

CRACKDOWN ON ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS
DHAKA: The police on Monday launched a search for leading figures of a banned Islamic extremist organisation, official sources said. The crackdown was announced following a disclosure in Parliament by Home Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury that leaders of the Shahadat-al-Hikma were evading arrest after carrying out terrorist activities. DPA

8 SHOT DEAD AT NIGHTCLUB
NEW YORK: Eight persons were shot and two stabbed during a brawl at a popular dance club in New York’s Times Square neighbourhood, the police said. According to witnesses, a man pulled out a handgun and began firing into the crowd at the Broadway City Arcade, a cavernous entertainment complex, on Sunday. AFP

EFFECTS OF VIEWING TV VIOLENCE
NEW YORK: Both boys and girls who watch a lot of violence on television have a heightened risk of aggressive adult behaviour, including spouse abuse and criminal offenses, no matter how they act in childhood, a new study says. While the results may not be surprising, experts say the study is important because it included hundreds of participants and showed the effect in females as well as males. AP