W O R L D

N Korea threatens South with N-war
Seoul, December 13
North Korea warned today that US-South Korean cooperation could bring a nuclear war to the region, as the South began artillery drills amid lingering tension nearly three weeks after the North’s deadly shelling of a South Korean island.

Nepal’s former Prince gets into gun brawl
Former Crown Prince Paras Shah has been dragged into another controversy after he allegedly manhandled Rubel Chaudhary, son-in-law of Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala, and her daughter at Sauraha, a major tourist hub in Chitwan.

Britain fears pro-WikiLeaks attacks on govt websites
London, December 13
Britain says government websites are at risk of cyber attack from pro-WikiLeaks hackers. Prime Minister David Cameron’s office said today that national security adviser Peter Ricketts has warned departments they could be targeted by online “hacktivists.”

UK police finds links to Swedish terror attack
Stockholm/London, December 13
The British police searched a house north of London in connection with a suspected terrorist attack in Stockholm over the weekend. According to Scotland Yard, the search took place on Sunday. No arrests were made and no dangerous materials found, the Press Association said.

N Korea threatens South with N-war

Seoul, December 13
North Korea warned today that US-South Korean cooperation could bring a nuclear war to the region, as the South began artillery drills amid lingering tension nearly three weeks after the North’s deadly shelling of a South Korean island.

The South’s naval live-fire drills are scheduled to run on Monday through Friday at 27 sites. The regularly scheduled exercises are getting special attention following a North Korean artillery attack on frontline Yeonpyeong Island that killed two South Korean marines and two civilians.

The November 23 artillery barrage, the North’s first assault to target a civilian area since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, began after the North said South Korea first fired artillery toward its territorial waters.

South Korea says it fired shells southward, not toward North Korea, as part of routine exercises.

After the attack, South Korea staged joint military drills with the US and also pushed ahead with more artillery exercises, despite the North’s warning that they would aggravate tension.

A South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff officer tried to play down the significance of this week’s drills, saying they are part of routine military exercises and would not occur near the disputed western Korean sea border where last month’s attack took place.

The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of office policy, gave no further details.

North Korea, however, lashed out at Seoul, accusing South Korea of collaborating with the US and Japan to ratchet up pressure on Pyongyang.

That cooperation “is nothing but treachery escalating the tension between the North and the South and bringing the dark clouds of a nuclear war to hang over the Korean peninsula,” Pyongyang’s main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said in a commentary carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency. North Korea has often issued similar threats during standoffs.

In a show of unity, top diplomats from South Korea, the US and Japan met in Washington last week and said they would not resume negotiations aimed at persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme until the country’s behaviour changes.

Adm Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited South Korea last week and warned Pyongyang to stop its “belligerent, reckless behavior.” South Korean and US defense officials today met in Seoul for one-day discussions on North Korea and other issues that are part of regular defense talks, according to Seoul’s Defence Ministry. — AP

Nepal’s former Prince gets into gun brawl
Bishnu Budhathoki in Kathmandu

Former Crown Prince Paras Shah has been dragged into another controversy after he allegedly manhandled Rubel Chaudhary, son-in-law of Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala, and her daughter at Sauraha, a major tourist hub in Chitwan.

According to Chaudhary, Paras fired a few rounds in the air after aiming at him at the Tiger Tops Resort in Chitwan, 150 km south-west from Kathmandu, on Saturday night. However, no one was injured in the alleged shooting.

At a press conference at Koirala's residence in Kathamndu on Monday, Chaudhary said: "He tried to take my life pointing gun at my forehead and threatened to finish all who were held responsible for abolishing monarchy from the country."

Meanwhile, the Home Ministry has formed a 3-member probe committee under Deputy Inspector General of Police Ganga Panday to investigate the incident.

The news of the incident dominated newspaper front pages in Nepal today and various political groups called for the arrest of the Prince, who has recently returned to his country after a brief self-imposed exile in Singapore.

According to close friends of the deputy prime minister Sujata, the firing took place at Tiger Tops Resort at Chitawan National Park in southern Nepal as Melanie and her Bangladeshi husband got into a heated argument with the former Prince.

The friends, who preferred not to be named, said a drunk Paras had opened fire holding Sujata’s father late Girija Prasad Koirala responsible for hatching the conspiracy to abolish monarchy. (With inputs from PTI)

Britain fears pro-WikiLeaks attacks on govt websites

UK police finds links to Swedish terror attack

Stockholm/London, December 13
The British police searched a house north of London in connection with a suspected terrorist attack in Stockholm over the weekend. According to Scotland Yard, the search took place on Sunday. No arrests were made and no dangerous materials found, the Press Association said.

British and Swedish media reported that the suspected attacker had been an Iraqi-born Swede, aged 28 or 29, who had studied at the University of Bedfordshire in England. The reports had not been confirmed by British authorities.

“We remain in close contact with the Swedish authorities,” the BBC quoted a Home Office spokesman as saying. “It would be inappropriate to comment on their ongoing investigation at this time.” — DPA