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Karachi observes shutdown
Indian gets key UK judicial post
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Obama vows to defeat Al-Qaida
Somali pirates seize two ships
Taliban explosives expert killed in Swat
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Karachi observes shutdown
Karachi, December 29 Provincial Health Secretary Hashim Raza Zaidi said 43 persons had died so far in yesterday’s attack, the third terrorist assault in as many days on a Shia procession in Karachi, which sparked widespread rioting and violence across the city of 14 million. Other officials said over 100 injured were being treated in hospitals and many of them were in a serious condition. Amid tight security, thousands of mourners gathered at various places in the city for funeral prayers for the victims. The suicide bomber mingled with hundreds of people participating in a procession for the Islamic holy month of Muharram and detonated his explosives on M A Jinnah Road, a key thoroughfare in the heart of Karachi, yesterday. Mobs went on the rampage, torching cars and shops, firing in the air and beating up police and paramilitary personnel. Over 1,500 shops on M A Jinnah Road and in Boulton Market were set ablaze. Fire fighters struggled till this afternoon to control the blaze as plumes of thick black smoke rose over the city. Authorities deployed over 40 fire tenders to control the flames. A multi-storey building collapsed in Boulton Market and the fire was exacerbated by chemicals stored in shops dealing in plastics and perfumes. Traders’ associations estimated that the blaze had caused losses of around Rs 20 billion. Thousands of police and Pakistan Rangers personnel were deployed across Karachi and the rest of Sindh province to maintain calm. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani appealed for calm in the wake of the attack. — PTI
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Indian gets key UK judicial post
London, December 29 Kalyani, 49, who was the third highest paid barrister in terms of legal aid payments in 2005, has been practising law in Britain for the last 26 years. She studied law from the London School of Economics. The major cases handled by her include Government of Rwanda vs Munyaneza, an extradition case against the Government of Rwanda earlier this year relating to charges of genocide. Kalyani, who specialises in serious crime has also handled the case relating to the Chohan murders in 2005, when five members of the same family were kidnapped and murdered. It was the longest murder trial at the Old Bailey, and went on for nearly nine months. Kalyani, is the daughter of well-known British journalists Mahendra Kaul and Rajni Kaul, both of whom worked for long years with the Voice of America and British Broadcasting Corporation. Mahendra Kaul was the first Asian to be honoured with the Order of the British Empire in 1975. The post of Recorder is a fee paid post and there is no minimum sitting requirement. As a Recorder, Kalyani will prepare cases for trial and preside over hearings in county courts. A Recorder is also considered for authorisation to sit as Deputy High Court Judge in the Chancery and Queen's Bench Divisions of the High Court and sit in the Royal Courts of Justice or county courts. — PTI
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Obama vows to defeat Al-Qaida
Washington, December 29 This is Obama's first public statement after the foiled attempt by an Al-Qaida operative to blow up a US plane on Christmas with more than 270 persons on board. "Had the suspect succeeded in bringing down that plane, it could have killed nearly 300 passengers and crew, innocent civilians preparing to celebrate the holidays with their families and friends," he said. — PTI
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Somali pirates seize two ships
Kuala Lumpur, December 29 Noel Choong, who heads the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said the ship issued a distress message yesterday, seeking help after it was attacked. The St James Park set sail from Tarragona, Spain, and was headed for Tha Phut, Thailand. The tanker has 26 crew members from India, the Philippines, Russia, Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Poland and Turkey, EU’s anti-piracy force, Cmdr John Harbour, said. The two hijackings late yesterday showed that pirates are relentless in their pursuit of quick money from ransom and that ship owners need to take extra precaution when sailing in the Horn of Africa, Choong said. The waters off Somalia are teeming with pirates who have hijacked dozens of ships for multimillion-dollar ransoms in the past two years. An international naval force now patrols the Gulf of Aden, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. The British tanker distress call was picked up by the Greek rescue and coordination centre in Piraeus, which in turn relayed the message to the International Maritime Bureau and other agencies. The ship was last reported to be heading toward the northern coast of Somalia, and the EU Naval Force was monitoring the situation, Choong added. He said pirates last hijacked a Yemeni fishing boat in the Gulf of Aden on December 18, but the St James Park was the first merchant vessel to have been taken in the busy waterway since July 8. — AP
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Taliban explosives expert killed in Swat
Islamabad, December 29 Militant commander Siddique, alias Abu Zar, was killed during a gunbattle with security forces in Charbagh sub-division of Swat, the military said. Two of his aides were captured after being injured in the clash. Two assault rifles, a pistol and a wireless set were recovered from their possession. Siddique was an explosives expert and the mastermind of “many terrorist attacks” on law enforcement agencies, the military said. Security forces also apprehended six suspects and recovered arms and ammunition during search operations at different places in Swat. One militant surrendered near Charbagh. —
PTI
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Thousands of mourners today attended funeral prayers for 43 persons who died in a suicide attack on a Muharram procession of Pakistani Shia Muslims in Karachi, where residents observed a shutdown to show solidarity with the victims.
London, December 29
