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Attack threat against Asian allies of USA Pak-born man charged with planning terror attack in Australia Pak N-programme non-negotiable, Over 1000 abducted in Nepal
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victims hunt for guardian angels Library book returned after 42 yrs US TV airs photos of Diana at crash site
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Attack threat against Asian allies of USA Bangkok, April 22 The letter, received yesterday from a group identifying itself as the “Yellow-Red Overseas Organisation,” threatened attacks on major facilities in Australia, Japan, Kuwait, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand, between April 20 and 30, he said. “This is a serious problem. They threatened embassies, air flights, and other interesting places” in the eight Asian nations, First Secretary Ryoo Jung-Young told AFP. “Our Embassy has demanded an explanation about this from the (Thai) Foreign Ministry and Interior Ministry and also demanded more security for the Embassy and the Korean community here,” the diplomat added. The letter, typed in English and sent by regular post from within Thailand, was being examined by Thai authorities who launched an investigation, he said. The Embassy was operating normally. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said it was aware of the report but had no immediate comment, Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.
— AFP |
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Pak-born man charged with planning terror attack in Australia
Sydney, April 22 Thirty-four-year-old Faheem Khalid Lodhi of Punchbowl suburb in Sydney’s south-west was arrested from his home early today and presented in central local court on seven charges. Lodhi, an architect, “did acts in preparation for a terrorist act, namely upon a major infrastructure facility”, according to the chargesheet handed to the court. It did not name the facility. Lodhi had also sought the price of chemicals while using a false company name, prosecutors charged in the statement. He was also reportedly accused of recruiting for a terrorist organisation in Sydney and Pakistan between April 2001 and March 2003. These allegations “have reasonable explanations and those explanations have been provided to the authorities in camera proceedings,” Lodhi’s lawyer Stephen Hopper said. Lodhi is said to have known 21-year-old Pakistan-born medical student, Izhar ul-Haque, who was recently arrested here for training in Pakistan with terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Toiba. Hopper said his client was an acquaintance of ul-Haque and deported French national Willie Brigitte, but had never been involved in a terrorist plot.
— PTI |
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Pak N-programme non-negotiable, says Musharraf Islamabad, April 22 Speaking to nuclear scientists and engineers of Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) - the country’s premier nuclear facility, he denied pressures on Pakistan’s nuke programme and reassured that the “government would not brook any pressures in future”. General Musharraf’s remarks came amidst speculation that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been pressuring Pakistan to open its nuclear facilities for inspection. The report followed a recent nuclear imbroglio involving pilfering nuclear technology by some Pakistani individuals including the country’s top nuclear scientist, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, who allegedly had subsequent involvement with Iran, Libya and North Korea. General Musharraf also explained the rationale behind investigations carried out against these scientists and said “time has shown that the decisions taken were correct and served the national interest”.
— DPA |
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Over 1000 abducted in Nepal Kathmandu, April 22 The abducted are aged between 15 and 40 and one member from each family of the village was taken to an undisclosed location in the district for a public gathering on the occasion of International Lenin day, daily Himalayan Times said quoting unnamed Maoists. They were taken to a public gathering where Maoist leader, Dr Baburam Bhattarai, will address a meeting, the paper said quoting Maoist cadre Sangam of Ravi area of the district.
— UNI |
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Voting for Lanka Speaker ends in a tie
Colombo, April 22 Both candidates secured 108 votes each at the preliminary voting, Parliament Secretary General Priyani Wijesekara said. The government has fielded Communist Party General Secretary D.E.W. Gunasekara for the Speaker’s post while Opposition’s candidate was former Buddhist Affairs Minister W.J.M Lokubandara. One spoiled vote was rejected, while seven of a group of nine Buddhist monks who hold seats in the 225-member Assembly abstained. One MP did not turn up at all Wijesekara said, adding a fresh election would be held.
— PTI |
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Bomb victims hunt for guardian angels Madrid, April 22 The site, whose address www.quienmeayudo.com translates as “who helped me.com”, aims to bring victims together with the people who, in the words of one injured 44-year-old, “descended into hell” to rescue them. Lists of names, ages, heights and hair and skin colour are followed by poignant accounts of the carnage that claimed 191 lives on March 11 when bombs exploded on four packed early-morning commuter trains. The authorities suspect Islamist militants with links to Al-Qaeda of carrying out the attacks, which injured 1,900 people. “Hello, I am the husband of Ana Isabel, a dark woman with mid-length hair who was at a late stage of pregnancy... Unfortunately my wife and our child passed away in the Paz hospital,” writes 29-year-old Jesus, searching for anyone who saw or helped his dying wife. The site, whose front page features only the simple black ribbon that has become a ubiquitous sign of solidarity and mourning in Spain, was set up by three media professionals, moved by dozens of victims wanting to trace their rescuers. “The wounded, when they appeared on television, always seemed to be asking ‘who helped save me’,” said one of them, who asked to remain anonymous to keep the focus on victims. — Reuters |
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Library
book returned after 42 yrs Valletta, Malta, April 22 Mr Ernie Roscouet, a resident of the Channel Islands, inadvertently packed the book when he left Malta in June 1962 and returned it when his wife gave him a holiday to Malta as his 65th birthday present. “It’s actually been on my conscience all this time,” he told the Times of Malta newspaper. — Reuters |
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US TV airs photos of Diana at crash site New York, April 22 A peaceful-looking Ms Diana was shown lying on her right side in a black and white photocopy of a photograph confiscated from paparazzi who had followed her Mercedes by French authorities and included in a secret dossier obtained by CBS News “48 Hours Investigates” program. Publication of the photos of the last hours of the much-loved princess — whose face appeared unblemished aside from what may have been a spattering of blood — had hitherto been considered off limits out of respect for her two sons, Princes William and Harry. CBS did not disclose how it obtained the 4,000-page French report on the accident. Diana’s death at the age of 37 in a high-speed car crash in a city tunnel has been the subject of speculation, ranging from rumours that she was pregnant at the time to conspiracy theories that she was murdered along with her lover, Mr Dodi al Fayed, because their relationship was embarrassing to Britain’s royal family. Mr Dodi al Fayed’s father, Mr Mohamed al Fayed, the Egyptian-born owner of Harrods Department Store, has said Ms Diana told him she was pregnant. However, according to a witness at the autopsy, interviewed by the show, the pathologist divided her womb, looked inside and said he was certain she was not pregnant. A summary of the French inquiry, released in 1999, concluded that the crash was caused by Ms Diana and Mr Dodi’s driver, Mr Henri Paul, who was drunk and speeding. Mr Dodi al Fayed and Mr Paul were also killed in the crash. Britain launched a top-level investigation into the deaths in January. Royal Coroner Michael Burgess opened the inquest by saying claims that the crash was not an accident should be investigated. He then adjourned the inquest for 12 to 15 months, meaning no evidence will be heard for another year. The program said the French documents detailed exhaustive tests done on the mangled Mercedes limousine, which crumpled after striking a pillar in the tunnel. They showed no signs of tampering or brake failure — addressing another of the popular conspiracy theories surrounding her death.
— Reuters |
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World’s fastest tailor Hong Kong, April 22 Mr Yang Wenzhe, 60, who began working as a tailor 40 years ago, claims to be able to make a pair of trousers, from measurements to final cutting, in just 108 seconds. An ordinary tailor takes at least 10 minutes to perform the same feat, according to the Hong Kong edition of the China Daily. The newspaper said the tailor, from Shenyang, Liaoning province, hoped to earn a place in the record books for being the world’s fastest tailor. — DPA |
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