Washington, July 25
A nuclear-powered US supercarrier led an armada of warships in exercises off the Korean peninsula today that North Korea has vowed to physically block and says could escalate into nuclear war.

US military officials said the maneuvers, conducted with South Korean ships and Japanese observers, were intended to send a strong signal to the North that aggression in the region would not be tolerated.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been particularly high since the sinking in March of a South Korean naval vessel. Forty-six Korean sailors were killed in the sinking, which Seoul has called Pyongyang's worst military attack on it since the 1950-53 Korean War.

The military drills, code-named "Invincible Spirit," are to run through Wednesday with about 8,000 US and South Korean troops, 20 ships and submarines and 200 aircraft. The Nimitz-class USS George Washington was deployed from Japan. "We are showing our resolve," said Capt David Lausman, the carrier's commanding officer.

North Korea has protested the drills, threatening to retaliate with "nuclear deterrence" and "sacred war." The North routinely threatens attacks whenever South Korea and the US hold joint military drills, which Pyongyang sees as a rehearsal for an invasion. The US keeps 28,500 troops in South Korea and another 50,000 in Japan, but says it has no intention of invading the North. Still, the North's latest rhetoric carries extra weight following the sinking of the Cheonan.

Capt Ross Myers, the commander of the carrier's air wing, said the exercises were not intended to raise tensions, but acknowledged they are meant to get North Korea's attention.

The George Washington, one of the biggest ships in the US Navy, is a potent symbol of American military power, with about 5,000 sailors and aviators and the capacity to carry up to 70 planes.

"North Korea may contend that it is a provocation, but I would say the opposite," he said. "It is a provocation to those who don't want peace and stability. North Korea doesn't want this. They know that one of South Korea's strengths is its alliance with the United States." He said that North Korea's threats to retaliate were being taken seriously.

"There is a lot they can do," he said. "They have ships, they have subs, they have airplanes. They are a credible threat." The exercises are the first in a series of US-South Korean maneuvers to be conducted in the East Sea off South Korea's east coast and in the Yellow Sea closer to China's shores in international waters. — AP

Berlin, July 25
At least 19 revellers, including women, were trampled to death when a jam-packed tunnel leading to the open-air venue of a popular music festival was hit by a panicked stampede in the German city of Duisberg.

German police officers lift up a woman from the crowd of revellers outside a tunnel at the ‘Love Parade’ in Duisburg on Saturday. — Reuters

Over 340 persons were also injured in the tragedy at the ‘Love Parade’ techno music festival last evening, the police said.

The incident occurred when the music enthusiasts were on their way to the festival grounds near the Duisberg railway station, where nearly 1.5 million people from across Europe had gathered to attend the ‘Love Parade’ techno music festival.

According to eyewitnesses, people were unable to move forward or backward in the entry tunnel leading to the open-air festival, sparking panic and stampede.

The police said 19 persons were crushed to death and over 340 were injured in the incident, which took place after the festival organisers closed the entrance to the overcrowded venue and thousands of fans assembled in the underground passage attempted to enter the festival. ‘Love Parade’ began as a peace demonstration in Berlin in 1989 and over the years evolved as a huge open-air festival, which brings together music fans from all over Europe. — PTI

In a blunt talk with Pakistan's civil and military leadership, the US top military commander Admiral Mike Mullen has urged them to be sensitive to the US security interests while seeking to broker a deal between the Haqqani network and Kabul, also calling for reining in Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) as it has aspirations beyond the region.

"The LeT has global aspirations and posed serious threat to world peace, " Mullen warned while talking to a group of journalists after a number of meetings with Pakistani leaders. He emphasized that concerted Pakistani and international efforts were needed against the group.

“There is heightened concern about LeT’s emergence and what is significant is its emergence not only on the regional stage but potentially as a terror organisation with global aspirations. There is an increased level of concern where the LeT is and where it appears to be headed,” he said while referring to reports that the group had grown since the Mumbai attacks, moving to western countries and was collaborating with other terrorist organisations.

Admiral Mullen, however, avoided making any comments over Pakistan’s handling of controversial groups. But, he added that this was not the first time that the US had alerted Pakistan to the threat posed by LeT.

While there was no official word giving clear indication of contents of the meetings, Mullen had a candid interaction with journalists at US embassy and obliquely spelled out the message he had conveyed in Islamabad.

Lahore, July 25
Pakistan has said it will be impossible for it to continue the dialogue with India if New Delhi does not pay importance to the Kashmir issue. India must include the Kashmir issue in talks with Pakistan in order to take forward parleys between the two countries, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said.

"It will be impossible for Pakistan to continue the dialogue if India does not pay importance to the Kashmir issue," Qureshi told reporters at the airport here yesterday after returning from a trip abroad.

His remarks came more than a week after his July 15 meeting with his Indian counterpart S M Krishna in Islamabad during which sharp differences arose between the two sides on the timeframe and roadmap for future talks.

On the proposed Pakistan-Afghanistan transit trade agreement, he described it as a significant achievement, but ruled out any provision in the pact to allow India to send its goods to Afghanistan via Pakistan.

The Foreign Minister also dismissed assertions by US leaders and officials that the top al-Qaida and Afghan Taliban leadership, including Osama bin Laden and Mullah Omar, are present in Pakistan. Describing such reports as rubbish, he said: "Pakistan wants concrete evidence proving the whereabouts of either Osama or Mullah Omar." — PTI