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Lankan army captures Black Tiger camps
111 die in Kenya oil blaze
Prez Race |
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Finding alternative to Gitmo a hard task
Mumbai Carnage
Three hurt in Kabul blast
India, B’desh may set up anti-terror mechanism
Safe passage to civilians
22 die in Russian care home fire
A file photo of a young girl with a placard condemning the attacks on girls' schools in scenic Swat valley during a protest organised by the Pashtoonkhwa Students Organisation, which represents students from Pakistan's troubled northwest, in Karachi. — AFP Over 45 killed in Swat valley
Pollution causing birth defects in China
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Lankan army captures Black Tiger camps
Colombo, February 1 The troops of the 58th division captured two “Black Tiger” camps in the Visuamadu area last night with inflicting heavy damages to the terrorists, the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) said. “LTTE terrorists continued worsening suffering of the thousands of civilians entrapped in the outskirts of Mullaittivu, ignoring the 48-hour ultimatum served for the safe passage of civilians,” the defence ministry said today. The troops also recovered a large cache of weapons, including mortar launchers, rifles, rocket propelled grenades, light machine guns, grenades, mines, bombs and detonators, from the camps. In one camp, troops found a bungalow complete with roads and nine A5 weapons to fire “gas” were also recovered. “Two storeys built underground consisting of three rooms were found equipped with beds, refrigerators, modern bathrooms, toilets, noiseless electric generator, accessories and cupboard,” the MCNS said. But, it was not clear whether Tiger supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran used the camp. Troops also recovered bodies of 12 LTTE cadres in the Visuamadu and Mullaitivu area. — PTI
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111 die in Kenya oil blaze
Molo (Kenya), February 1 “Everybody was screaming and most of them were running with fire on their bodies, they were just running into the bush,” said Charles Kamau, 22, who was driving through the town of Molo last night when he saw the road blocked by hundreds of people surrounding the overturned truck. As he waited to get through, the petrol ignited. “I just ran to where there was no fire,” he said at a Red Cross tent where he was reporting a missing friend today. Burnt-out cars and charred clothing littered the road where the shell of the tanker stood in Molo, about 170 km outside the capital, Nairobi. Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said it appeared that someone’s cigarette caused the explosion. The Kenya Red Cross said the death toll was 111 but was expected to rise. “Most of the families will have a hard time because these bodies are charred beyond recognition,” said Patrick Nyongesa, the regional manager for the Kenya Red Cross. — AP
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Prez Race
Washington, February 1 America’s top diplomat has been steadily chipping away at unpaid campaign bills since suspending her White House bid in favour of her rival Barack Obama in June, when her debt peaked at $25.2 million. That amount included both $12 million owed to vendors and the $13.2 million she loaned her campaign from personal funds. Clinton’s campaign was unable to repay that personal loan by the time the Democratic National Convention convened in Denver, Colorado, in August, the deadline mandated by the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. Clinton and her supporters had been in a race against time to pay off as much of the debt as possible by the time of her swearing-in as the secretary of state on January 21. As of that date, Clinton became subject to a federal law known as the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from personally soliciting or accepting political contributions. Clinton’s mother Dorothy Rodham sent out the last of a series of e-mail fund-raising pitches January 16, specifically asking for donations to help retire the debt before her daughter took her new post, CNN reported. — PTI
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Finding alternative to Gitmo a hard task
New York, February 1 Topping the list for new home for the detainees, says Newsweek, is Fort Leavenworth, situated in Kansas, but Governor Kathleen Sebelius, an Obama pal, is making sure that the new detention centre is not located in her state. "I'm happy to find a solution but would make strong argument that ‘this isn't’," she was quoted as saying by the magazine. In a letter to Defence Secretary Robert Gates, she said putting terrorist suspects there would undermine the base and pose a danger to the community. Leavenworth is one of at least three sites under examination by the Department of Defence as alternatives to Gitmo. Newsweek says Pentagon survey teams have visited Leavenworth and Camp Pendleton in San Diego since Obama was elected President on November 4 last year. The US Naval Brig in Charleston, South Carolina, is also on the list. In response, members of Congress representing the districts where the three facilities are located have each proposed NIMBY ("not in my backyard") bills that would prevent the government from dumping Gitmo suspects on them, the report says. "Not only is the brig within walking distance of sensitive military facilities ... but it is less than two miles away from surrounding civilian suburban neighbourhoods," Republican Henry Brown of South Carolina said in a statement. Taking a stand, says the news magazine, was surely a tougher call for Sebelius, who was briefly touted as a possible Obama running mate during the campaign.
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Mumbai Carnage Pakistan Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said the initial findings of the (Pakistani) probe into the 26/11 Mumbai attack on the basis of the Indian dossier would soon be conveyed to New Delhi through diplomatic channels. The probe report, he claimed, would prove Pakistan's sincerity in its efforts to defeat the common enemy - terrorism. Also, Qureshi dismissed "as premature and given in haste" the statement by Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan's high commissioner in London. Hasan had, in an interview with NDTV, claimed that the Mumbai attacks did not originate in Pakistan. Wajid, said he, was not authorised to make such comment unless the Pakistani version was finalised. Speaking to mediapersons in Multan, Qureshi said Pakistan wanted resumption of composite dialogue with India as early as possible. He, however, acknowledged that "realistically speaking" India and the rest of the countries were looking at Pakistan to see what action it took. "We are moving forward in the right direction and will take India and the other countries into confidence by sharing the findings of the initial probe," Qureshi said. He said bilateral cooperation on the issue was the key to ensure successful prosecution of the culprits in Mumbai attack. The findings of Pakistani probe would be vetted by the law ministry before the foreign ministry received them and passed on to India and other countries via diplomatic channels. Answering a question, Qureshi said Pakistan had received some positive initial vibes from the Obama administration and hoped both the sides would build on that.
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Three hurt in Kabul blast
Kabul, February 1 The blast took place on a road leading into the adjoining province of Wardak where Taliban insurgents are known to operate. The bomb exploded near a convoy of French soldiers, who are helping to train the fledgling Afghan National Army, French military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jerome Salle said. “One military vehicle has been damaged and one French soldier has been slightly wounded,” he said. The Afghan interior ministry said two civilians were also wounded in the attack. — AFP
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India, B’desh may set up anti-terror mechanism
New Delhi, February 1 The contours of such a mechanism are likely to be discussed at length when External Affairs Minister Prabab Mukherjee visits Dhaka on February 9, in what will be the first high-level interaction between the two countries after the installation of the Sheikh Hasina government. The speculation was rife that Mukherjee might postpone his visit since he is now presiding over the government in view of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s ill health. He would be involved in the budgetary exercise as he is also holding the additional charge of the Finance Ministry. However, it has been decided that Mukherjee must go ahead with the visit to Dhaka, reflecting the importance New Delhi attachés to strengthening ties with the Awami League government that is considered a ‘friendly’ dispensation in diplomatic circles here. Official sources here said Bangladesh had sometime back proposed the setting up of a joint counter-terror mechanism that could act as an instrument for combating Indian insurgent groups using the Bangladeshi territory for anti-India activities However, Mukherjee is likely to mince no words in expressing to Bangladeshi India’s concern over the activities of Islamic fundamentalist groups being aided and abetted by Pakistan’s ISI.
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Safe passage to civilians As the 48-hour ultimatum given by the Sri Lankan government for the LTTE to allow safe passage for people trapped in the areas controlled by them in Mullaitivu district in north Sri Lanka ended on Sunday, there were no signs that the LTTE was willing to allow a free movement of civilians. The military said around 100 civilians had crossed over in the past two days having escaped from the clutches of the Tigers, but more than 1,20,000 were believed to be trapped in the areas where much of the fighting between the government troops and the Tigers was in progress. President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Sunday once again asked the LTTE to give up their armed struggle in the face of inevitable defeat and the suffering of the Tamil people. The military said according to available information, the Tamil Tigers were manning a forward defense line in the outer perimeters of the so-called safe zone declared by the government for civilians to make a safe passage into the government-controlled areas. Although the military said there would be no let up in the fighting, the government says it will continue to adhere to the zero-civilian casualty policy.
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22 die in Russian care home fire
Moscow, February 1 President Dmitry Medvedev dispatched the Kremlin’s envoy in northwest Russia to investigate the blaze in the Podyelsk village, 120 km from the regional capital, Syktyvkar, which was brought under control by firefighters early today. “We have found the bodies of 22 persons,”' Lyubov Terenteva, head of the press service for the ministry in Komi, said. “Other fragments of human remains were also found and we believe 23 persons died in all.” Fire broke out at the care home, which houses 26 residents, mostly elderly, early last evening, Terenteva said by telephone from Syktyvkar. Three women were rescued before firefighters arrived at the single-storeyed building. Prosecutors are questioning three staff members who survived the fire, Terenteva said. The cause of the fire was unknown. Vladimir Torlopov, the 59-year-old head of the Komi republic, said an investigation would begin immediately. — Reuters
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Islamabad, February 1 “I was afraid going to school because the Taliban had issued an edict banning all girls from attending schools,” writes the seventh grade schoolgirl from Swat. “The night was filled with the noise of artillery fire and I woke up three times. But since there was no school, I got up later at 10 am. Afterwards, my friend came over and we discussed our homework,” the girl wrote under pseudonym ‘Gul Makai’. The Taliban has banned the education of girls in Swat from January 15 and destroyed nearly 200 schools. “Today is January 15, the last day before the Taliban's edict comes into effect, and my friend was discussing homework as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened,” Gul wrote. “Only 11 students out of 27 attended the class. The number decreased because of Taliban's edict. My three friends have shifted to Peshawar, Lahore and Rawalpindi with their families after this edict,” she wrote. On January 14, Gul Makai’s entry was titled: “I may not go to school again”. She wrote: “I was in a bad mood while going to school because winter vacations are starting from tomorrow. The principal announced the vacations but did not mention the date the school was to reopen. This was the first time this has happened. In the past the reopening date was always announced clearly,” Gul said. She wrote that the girls were not too excited about vacations because they knew if the Taliban implemented their edict, they would not be able to come to school again. “Some girls were optimistic that the schools would reopen in February but others said their parents had decided to shift from Swat and go to other cities for the sake of their education,” she wrote. “No one has gone to school following the deadline given by the Taliban...(my friend) said no one has made the Taliban suffer but when they are hurt they take it out on our schools. The army is not doing anything about it. They are sitting in their bunkers on top of the hills. They slaughter goats and eat with pleasure,” Gul said. In another piece titled “Today at school”, she writes about Maulana Shah Dauran, the Taliban leader behind the ban. “We discussed the rumours about the death of Maulana Shah Dauran, who used to give speeches on FM radio. Some girls said he was dead but others disagreed. The rumours of his death are circulating because he did not deliver a speech the night before on radio. One girl said he had gone on leave,” Gul said. Her diary entries also include discussions with classmates about the Taliban, who now control large parts of the Swat valley and have gunned down dozens of people who opposed them. In a more recent entry dated January 22, Gul Makai wrote: “Some of my friends have left Swat because the situation here is very dangerous. At night Maulana Shah Dauran once again warned females not to leave home. He also warned that they would blow up those schools which are used by the security forces as security posts,” Gul wrote.— PTI
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Islamabad, February 1 At least 16 militants were killed and many others injured in gun battles with security forces at three places in Swat since yesterday, a statement from the military said. Army troops backed by artillery and gunship helicopters began a fresh campaign against local Taliban militants in Swat last week. The security forces continued their clearance operation in Charbagh sub-district and engaged suspected militant hideouts. The troops have consolidated their hold over Charbagh. — PTI
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Pollution causing birth defects in China
Beijing, February 1 She said the alarming increase has forced them to kick off a high-level prevention plan and "more than half" of the pregnancies in the country had benefited from the commission's scientific guidance since 2007. A free pre-pregnant examination programme has covered eight provinces with the highest rate of birth defects, she said. –– PTI
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Molo (Kenya), February 1
