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39 killed in Russian train blast 30 drown as ferry capsizes
in B’desh Gatecrashers had met Obama, Manmohan |
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Headley is my half-brother: Gilani’s PRO Mush responsible for chaos in Pak: Sharif India reaches nuke agreement with Canada Japan launches 5th spy satellite
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39 killed in Russian train blast The head of Russia's domestic intelligence service said on Saturday that a bomb was behind the derailment of an express train overnight that left 39 dead and nearly 100 injured. FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov told Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that bomb equivalent to 7 kg (15 lb)
of TNT had derailed the train late on Friday. Uglovka, November 28 The Nevsky Express, carrying 682 passengers and 29 crew, derailed on the main line between Moscow and Russia's second city, St Petersburg. “Criminal experts say based on preliminary findings a bomb equivalent to 7 kg of TNT was detonated,” Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB, told President Dmitry Medvedev in a televised meeting. Russian detectives said they had found fragments of what they believed was a bomb and said they had opened a criminal case on charges of terrorism. No one has so far publicly claimed responsibility for the suspected attack. The derailment is Russia's most deadly train disaster for years and could raise fears of a surge in attacks on the Russian heartland by rebels from the turbulent North Caucasus. Russia's Emergency Ministry said at least 26 persons had been confirmed as dead with another 18 missing, though one rescue official earlier put the death toll as high as 39. The ministry said 96 persons had been injured.
— Reuters/PTI
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30 drown as ferry capsizes
in B’desh
Dhaka, November 28 Rescuers working overnight recovered 30 bodies from the three-deck ferry that capsized after almost berthing at the coastal town of Bhola, about 100 km from Dhaka, police chief Nazrul Islam said. He said the toll could rise as dozens more are trapped under water. Rescuers used gas torches to cut open the submerged cabins. Some of those rescued were stated to be in critical condition. The ferry MV Como was bound for Bhola from Dhaka when it tipped after reaching the destination with its rear portion sinking into the sea. The vessel tipped probably because it was jammed with people, sources said. The government has constituted a high powered committee to probe the mishap. Seven bodies were recovered last night while 23 other passengers of the ill-fated vessel were fished out today.
— PTI
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Gatecrashers had met Obama, Manmohan
Washington, November 28 A White House picture posted on several US websites showed the reality TV stars, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, being greeted and shaking hands with Obama at a reception line, with Manmohan Singh smiling alongside. The Secret Service earlier this week had said the President was never in danger as the couple like other guests had gone through four layers of security checks. An official said the couple, who attended the State Dinner without an invitation, did meet the President in the receiving line, but the gatecrashing has led to security alarm buttons being pressed. The President has ordered a full review of the incident. An internal Secret Service investigation is already underway as the socialite couple breached several layers of security to mingle with international who's who at the White House lawns. “The Secret Service is deeply concerned and embarrassed by the circumstances surrounding the State Dinner," Mark Sullivan, director of the Secret Service said in a statement. The Salahis posted their entry into the mega event on Facebook, with photographs taken with Vice-President Joe Biden and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. “Although these individuals went through magnetometers and other levels of screening, they should have been prohibited from entering the event entirely," Sullivan said, admitting: "That failing is ours." Now the Secret Service say they made a mistake and are taking action to identify exactly what happened and they will take the appropriate measures pending the results of their investigation, White House spokesman Nick Shapiro said. Meanwhile, amidst media reports, the Indian Embassy in an statement said it had not requested any invitation for Michaele and Tareq Salahi. The couple were known for their proximity to the Indian mission and were instrumental in the US-India Polo match scheduled for next summer at the prestigious National Mall.
— PTI
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Headley is my half-brother: Gilani’s PRO
Islamabad, November 28 PRO Danyal Gilani said in a statement that Indian media reports "trying to establish a relationship between Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and the family of detained US terror suspect and my half-brother, Daood Gilani alias David Coleman Headley, is incorrect, misplaced and totally baseless". The report is based on speculation and is intended to create "unnecessary hype", Danyal Gilani said. He said his ancestors migrated to Pakistan from Jastarwal in India's Punjab and Etawah in Uttar Pradesh while the premier's family has been living in Multan "for centuries" and the two families "have no relationship with each other". Danyal Gilani also acknowledged that the Prime Minister had issued a condolence message on his father Syed Saleem Gilani's death in December last year and visited his house to offer condolences. “This he did out of courtesy because I was working as his PRO and also because my father was a renowned broadcaster and a known personality of his time. At that time Daood (Gilani) was not in Pakistan," he said. Danyal Gilani said he had been working as the PRO to the premier since 2005, when the post was held by Shaukat Aziz, and did not join after the current Pakistan People's Party-led government took over. He also offered some details about his half-brother Daood, saying: “His having another name or changing his name at some stage in life has come as a surprise to me." He said he had "very little contact" with Daood since 2002, when he began living in Islamabad after passing the Civil Service examination. “I last met Daood when he visited Pakistan a few days after my father's death nearly a year ago," he added.
— PTI
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Mush responsible for chaos in Pak: Sharif Peshawar, November 28 Sharif, who made a brief visit to this northwestern city to express solidarity with victims of recent terrorist attacks, said elected representatives were left with no work during the unconstitutional and illegal rule of the dictator. The former premier alleged the mess in the country was created by the 10-year-long illegal rule of Musharraf and changes in policies on national issues that were introduced by the military regime. Sharif said he would never be part of any decision that went against the interests of Pakistan. He added that the PML-N remains opposed to the National Reconciliation Ordinance, which Musharraf issued to scrap graft cases against a section of political leaders, and the 17th constitutional amendment, which gives the President sweeping powers. He also paid tribute to the Pakistan Army for fighting the terrorists, who were now on the run. "The people of North West Frontier Province have suffered a lot during the war against terror and are fighting the war for the survival of the country. The entire nation was unanimous on the issue of initiating action against the terrorists," he said. — PTI
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India reaches nuke agreement with Canada Port of Spain, November 28 Canada has become the eighth country with which India has reached civil nuclear agreement since the NSG lifted a 34-year-old ban on India to join global nuclear trade in September last year. The other countries with which India has already signed the civil nuclear deal are the US, France, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Argentina and Namibia. The Canadian Prime Minister was in New Delhi on November 17 when the two countries had announced that they are working to complete the civil nuclear deal. Addressing a joint press conference after meeting Harper, the Prime Minister had said he looked forward to conclude in the near future a civil nuclear agreement with Canada, like India had done with the US, Russia, France and some other countries. Harper had said: “Canada is an emerging superpower in the energy sector while India is in need of energy”. — PTI
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Japan launches 5th spy satellite Tokyo, November 28 The domestically developed H-2A rocket carrying the USD 565 million satellite lifted off from a space centre on the southern island of Tanegashima, said an official. "The satellite will gather intelligence for our defence and diplomatic purposes," Michigami said. Japan has long relied on the US for intelligence. But it launched its first pair of spy satellites in 2003, prompted by concerns over North Korea's missile programme. — AP
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