 |
|
|
North shells South Korean island
|
|
|
Pope’s condom comments apply to women as well William-Kate wedding on April 29
|
|
North shells South Korean island
Incheon, November 23
The attack came as the reclusive North, and its ally China, presses regional powers to return to negotiations on its nuclear weapons programme and revelations at the weekend Pyongyang is fast developing another source of material to make atomic bombs. It also follows moves by leader Kim Jong-il to make his youngest, but unproven, son his heir apparent, leading some analysts to question whether the bombardment might in part have been an attempt to burnish the ruling family's image with the military. "Houses and mountains are on fire and people are evacuating. You can't see very well because of plumes of smoke," a witness on the island told YTN Television before the shelling, which lasted about an hour, ended. YTN said at least 200 North Korean shells hit Yeonpyeong, which lies off the west coast of the divided peninsula near a disputed maritime border. Most landed on a military base there. Photographs from Yeongyeong island, just 120 west of Seoul, showed columns of smoke rising from buildings. Two soldiers were killed in the attack, 17 wounded. Three civilians were also hurt. News of the attack rattled global markets, already unsettled by Ireland's debt woes and a shift to less risky assets. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who has pursued a hard line with the North since taking office nearly three years ago, said a response had to be firm following the attack. But he made no suggestion the South would retaliate further, suggesting Seoul was taking a measured response to prevent things getting out of hand. The two Koreas are still technically at war — the Korean War ended only with a truce — and tension rose sharply early this year after Seoul accused the North of torpedoing one of its navy vessels, killing 46 sailors. North Korea said its wealthy neighbour started the fight. "Despite our repeated warnings, South Korea fired dozens of shells from 1 p.m. ... and we've taken strong military action immediately," its KCNA news agency said in a brief statement. — Reuters Strike alarms world powers
The White House said the US “strongly condemns this attack and calls on North Korea to halt its belligerent action,” and urged nuclear-armed North Korea to “fully abide by the terms of the Armistice Agreement” that ended the Korean War. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned the shelling, warning of ‘colossal danger’ from Korean tensions and calling for an end to any hostilities. Japanese PM ordered his government to prepare for any eventuality. “I ordered (ministers) to make preparations so that we can react firmly, should any unexpected event occur.” British Foreign Secretary said: “The UK condemns North Korea's unprovoked attack on the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong Island. Such unprovoked attacks will only lead to further tensions on the Korean peninsula.”
|
|
Pope’s condom comments apply to women as well
Vatican City, November 23 Benedict said in a book released today that condom use by people such as male prostitutes was a lesser evil since it indicated they were taking a step toward a more moral and responsible sexuality by aiming to protect their partner from an infection. His comments implied that he was referring primarily to homosexual sex, when condoms aren’t being used as a form of contraception, which the Vatican opposes. Questions arose immediately, however, about the pope’s intent because the Italian translation of the book used the feminine for prostitute, whereas the original German used the masculine. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev Federico Lombardi, told reporters today that he asked the pope whether he intended his comments to only apply to male prostitutes. Benedict replied that it really didn’t matter, that the important thing was the person in question took into consideration the life of the other, Lombardi said. The pope's comments have generated heated debate, mostly positive in places like Africa which has been devastated by AIDS. — AP
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
North Korea fired scores of artillery shells at a South Korean island today, killing two soldiers, in one of the heaviest attacks on its neighbour since the Korean War ended in 1953.
