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Suicide bomber targets church in Egypt, kills 21
Explosion kills 30 in Nigerian capital
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Drone kills Pak Taliban’s top commander
Zardari signs bill for top judicial posts
Beijing launches car quota to check traffic woes
China unveils world’s longest sea bridge
11 Indians held for possessing false documents
Floods threaten thousands of Oz homes
Little Krishna to debut in Malaysia
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Suicide bomber targets church in Egypt, kills 21
Pope urges leaders to defend Christians Vatican City:
Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday urged world leaders to defend Christians against abuse and intolerance after a New Year’s day bomb attack in a Coptic church. In the wake of mounting tensions and “especially discrimination, abuse and religious intolerance which are today striking Christians in particular, I once again launch a pressing appeal not to give in to discouragement and resignation,” he said, speaking at the New Year mass. He appealed for the “concrete and constant engagement of leaders of nations,” in what he termed a “difficult mission.”
Cairo, January 1 The Egyptian Interior Ministry said that a suicide bomber with foreign links was probably responsible for the church attack in Alexandria that killed 21 persons. “It is probable that the bomb that exploded was carried by a suicide bomber who died among the crowd,” the ministry said in a statement, adding the bomb was packed with pieces of metal to cause the maximum amount of harm. The ministry statement said that given the methods that currently prevail in terrorist activities at the global and regional level, “clearly indicate” that the bombing was “planned and carried out by foreign elements.” A Health Ministry official in Alexandria said 21 persons were killed and 79 wounded. The Nearly 1,000 Coptic Christians were present at the Saints Church in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria for the Mass at the time of blast, Father Mena Adel, a priest at the church, was quoted as saying by the local media. The service had just ended and worshippers were leaving the building when the explosion took place in front of the church, about half-an-hour after midnight. No one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack on the Coptic church, which belongs to the Oriental Orthodox family of churches,
but a group calling itself ‘Al-Qaida in Iraq’ has vowed to attack churches in Egypt. The group threatened to attack Egyptian Copts if their church did not free two Christian women, who it alleged had been “imprisoned in their monasteries” for having converted to Islam. It earlier kidnapped Christian worshippers in the church of Lady of Salvation in Baghdad. After the blast, President Hosni Mubarak urged Egypt’s Christians and Muslims to unite against “terrorism”, but tempers continued to flare hours later as the Christian protesters clashed with Muslims. The minority community also clashed with the police. Witnesses said Christians hurled stones at police and a nearby mosque, chanting: “With our blood and soul, we redeem the cross”. Earlier, the Interior Ministry had said two cars parked in front of the church were the source of the blasts. An Interior Ministry official noted that the bomb was locally manufactured but expert on Islamist groups Diaa Rashwan insisted that the techniques used in manufacturing the bomb were not local. Another expert on security affairs Rifat Sayid Ahmed said it was a direct message from Al-Qaida by which it wanted to instigate sectarian struggle within Egypt and depict it as a country where both sects cannot live together. The Copts are the largest Christian community in the Middle East, who account for up to 10 per cent of Egypt’s 80 million population.
— PTI
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Explosion kills 30 in Nigerian capital
Abuja, January 1 Civil defence corps chief for the capital Rabi Saidu told reporters that “the bomb exploded where people were eating and drinking inside the Mammy market last evening.” The state-run Nigerian Television Authority today gave a death toll of 30 while a local reporter said he has seen unconscious bodies being taken away from the scene by army trucks but could not confirm if they were dead or injured. The channel did not give an estimate on the number of injured. However, local police spokesman Jimoh Moshood disputed the figure, saying only four people had died and 13 were wounded. Two other bomb explosions were also reported in the city. The second one was said to have exploded at a road leading to the Namdi Azikiwe International Airport while the third one was said to have went off at a Church in an area called Nyanya but casualty figures for the two are yet to be known. A top Air Force official also confirmed the bombing at a beer drinking spot near the Sani Abacha Barracks. Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the attack, blaming it on Islamists. President Jonathan called the attacks “evil” and “wicked”. “Basking in their nefarious success in Jos on Christmas Eve, they have once again knifed at the heartstrings of a nation decked out in gaiety, celebrating New Year’s Eve,” he said. Analysts believe the bombing has revealed the weakness of security agencies, especially the police which commits itself much to torture and bribe taking more than its primary duty of safeguarding lives. Recently, a Muslim group had claimed responsibility for bomb blasts in Nigeria’s central city of Jos which claimed 80 lives and the killing of six people in Maiduguri. The group which called itself, Jama’atu ahlus-Sunnah Lidda’awati but popularly known as Boko Haram said on a website that the attacks were carried out “to start avenging atrocities committed against Muslims in those areas and the country in general”. However, another group, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta People had claimed responsibility for October 1 blast that killed several people in the capital city and also vowed to bomb the city again.
— PTI
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Drone kills Pak Taliban’s top commander
Peshawar, January 1 “Qari Hussain was killed in a drone strike,” Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said. The Taliban commander died in North Waziristan tribal region in the first week of October. There was no word from the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan on the development. Analysts said that if the report was confirmed, it would be a serious blow to the Taliban. Noting that another Taliban leader named Azmatullah had also been killed, Hussain said the government would succeed in eliminating militants in 2011. Several militant commanders, including Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, and Al-Qaida operatives have been killed in hundreds of missile strikes carried out by US drones in the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. Qari Hussain had been running a training camp for suicide bombers in South Waziristan and was blamed for several attacks across Pakistan. He had claimed responsibility for two suicide attacks on Shia processions in Lahore and Quetta in September last year. Qari Hussain was a cousin of Hakimullah Mehsud, the current chief of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. The Taliban had named him “Ustad-e-Fidayeen” (teacher of suicide bombers). There have been reports of his death on several occasions in the past but they proved to be incorrect. Qari Hussain was reported dead after his home was destroyed in January 2008 but appeared before the media in May the same year. He was later reported killed in an air strike at Makeen in South Waziristan in June 2009 but later telephoned reporters to prove he was alive. The Pakistan government initially announced a reward of Rs 10 million for the killing or capture of Qari Hussain. In November 2009, the reward was increased to Rs 50 million.
— PTI
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Zardari signs bill for top judicial posts
Zardari described the amendment as “a New Year’s gift of democracy” for the country. In future too, legislation will be enacted through mutual consensus by taking along all political forces with the aim of make the country stronger. The signing ceremony in Karachi, where Zardari is camping, was attended by Senate Chairman Farooq H Naek, National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza and Raza Rabbani, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms. The amendment envisages a new system for appointments in superior courts and aimed at removing a potential source of discord between the judiciary and parliament. Before the bill was sent to the President for his formal assent, it was unanimously passed by the Senate or upper house of parliament and with a two-thirds majority by the National Assembly or lower house. Under the amendment, the number of senior judges who will serve as members of the Judicial Commission has been raised to four while the number of members of the parliamentary committee for the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner has been increased to 12. The Supreme Court Chief Justice will make recommendations for the appointment of ad hoc judges in superior courts in consultation with the Judicial Commission. In case the National Assembly is dissolved, members of the parliamentary committee will be chosen from the Senate. The amendment also provides permission for administrative and financial expenses of the newly set up Islamabad High Court. It also makes it mandatory for members of bar council to have at least 15 years of experience to be appointed to the Judicial Commission. Addressing the gathering after signing the bill, Zardari dismissed speculation regarding a clash among the institutions of the state and said certain “political actors” were trying to sell a negative impression to the people. However, all such efforts were in vain, he said.
— PTI
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Dilma Rousseff is Brazil’s first woman President
Brasilia, January 1 The former Marxist guerrilla, who evolved over the years into a pragmatic civil servant with a professed obsession for reducing poverty, smiled broadly and clapped along with spectators as she was sworn in before the Congress. "Many things have improved in Brazil, but this is just the beginning of a new era," Rousseff, wearing an all-white suit, told the Congress. "My promise is ... to honour women, to protect the most fragile, and to govern for all." Rousseff, 63, inherits a booming economy that would make most of the rest of the world green with envy. More than 20 million Brazilians were lifted out of poverty during Lula's eight years in office, thanks largely to his social welfare policies and stable economic management that made Brazil a darling among Wall Street investors. The coming decade also looks bright, with massive, newly-discovered offshore oil reserves due to be exploited and the World Cup and Olympics to be hosted here. Yet Rousseff also faces a long list of daunting challenges that Lula failed to tackle, including an overvalued currency that is hurting industry, rampant public spending that is fueling inflation, and notorious bureaucracy that stifles investment and discourages innovation. Perhaps the biggest task will be living up to the example set by Lula, a former metalworkers' union leader who leaves office with an approval rating of 87 per cent and near folk-hero status -- especially among
the poor. "I'm here to thank Lula for all he's done. If Dilma can do half of that I'll be happy," said Izabel Rosales Figuereido, who traveled from the western state of Mato Grosso do Sul to attend Rousseff's inauguration. Lula essentially hand-picked Rousseff, his former chief of staff, to be his successor. The career civil servant had never run for office before, and she remains a somewhat of a mystery to many Brazilians, but her promise to continue Lula's policies was enough to get her elected in October by a wide margin.
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Beijing launches car quota to check traffic woes
Beijing, January 1 Under the new system, the city will only allow 2,40,000 new car registrations in 2011, two-thirds less than last year, and is parcelling them out via a monthly online lottery. Beijing municipal government said it received nearly 40,000 online applications for car licence plates in the first 11 hours of the New Year. The website for application of licence plates had successfully accepted 36,138 applications, an official with the city's transportation committee told official Xinhua news agency. The applicants were competing for the first batch of 20,000 plates, which are to be awarded by lottery on January 25. Private car buyers will receive 88 per cent, or 17,600 plates per month on average, of the city's new licence plates. Those who do not get the number will be automatically included in the following month's draw The new rules have already sparked off speculation that car sales in China which surpassed that of the US this year will come down drastically. Netizens believe the traffic-control measures are the "toughest congestion-tackling measures in history," the agency reported. The city now has 4.76 million vehicles, up from 2.6 million in 2005. Earlier, the government had withdrawn incentives to buy cars given as part of s stimulus measures in 2008 to cope with the global economic crisis. China's total vehicle sales surged to 16.4 million in the 11 months through November, according to the China Automobile Industry Association. Whole-year sales are expected to hit 18 million units in 2010, making the nation the world's largest auto market for a second year. The market increased by almost 30 per cent this year, but analysts have predicted that it will slow to 10 to 15 per cent or even lower in 2011, after Beijing launched a strict policy to curb car consumption. The Ministry of Finance on Tuesday announced that China would stop the two-year consumption-tax cuts for smaller cars.
— PTI
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China unveils world’s longest sea bridge
London, January 1 It is 174 times longer than London’s Tower Bridge, over the Thames River - and shaves 19 miles off the drive from Qingdao to
Huangdao. It links the main urban area of Qingdao city, East China’s Shandong province, with Huangdao district, straddling the Jiaozhou Bay sea areas. The bridge took four years to complete and cost £5.5billion. “The computer models and calculations are all very well but you can’t really relax until the two sides are bolted together. Even a few centimetres out would have been a disaster,” the Daily Mail quoted one engineer as saying. Now completed, the bridge will shorten the route between Qingdao and Huangdao by 30km, cutting the travel time by about 20 minutes. “Through a more convenient and fast transport network, Hong Kong’s financial, tourism, trade and logistics and professional services can become better integrated with the Pearl River Delta and the surrounding areas,” said Donald Tsang, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive. The bridge will be a six-lane expressway that can handle earthquakes up to magnitude 8.0, strong typhoons and the impact of a 300,000 tonne vessel, said Zhu
Yongling, one of the officials leading the project. — ANI
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11 Indians held for possessing false documents
Johannesburg, January 1 Home Affairs spokesman Ronnie Mamoepa said the documents found in their possession originated from the Ministry, but it was not clear how they had obtained them. It is believed that the house that was raided served as a safe haven for illegal migrants until they received their South African identity documents and passports at huge 'fees' charged by agents working in collaboration with Home Affairs officials. The raids followed the arrest of three officials of the Home Affairs Ministry for their role in a Pakistani-led syndicate which specialised in getting false identity documents and passports for illegal migrants.
— PTI
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Floods threaten thousands of Oz homes Bundaberg, January 1 As Queen Elizabeth II sent her "sincere sympathies" to Queenslanders who rang in a damp new year, the military was assisting deliver food and other supplies to isolated towns by helicopter. Up to 200,000 people have been affected by the floods which have hurt the state's lucrative mining industry and cut off major highways as the water rushes through sodden inland regions to the sea. "In many ways, it is a disaster of biblical proportions," Queensland State Treasurer Andrew Fraser told reporters in flood-hit Bundaberg. Emergency workers were focusing their efforts on Rockhampton where the Fitzroy River had broken its banks and was rising dangerously, threatening some 2,000 to 4,000 homes ahead of reaching its expected peak on Wednesday. "We know we have prepared as best we can-most people who are expecting water to inundate their houses have evacuated," said Rockhampton Mayor Brad Carter of the flood, which could leave the town stranded for 10 days. Rockhampton's airport was expected to close to commercial flights Saturday as floodwaters rose, while overall the state is experiencing flooding over an area the size of France and Germany combined. But as some wait for the flood peak, in other towns residents are preparing to return to homes they evacuated last week in the wake of torrential downpours. — PTI
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Little Krishna to debut in Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, January 1 Nexus, which has the sole distribution rights to the series in Malaysia, said it will release the 13-episode show in both DVD and VCD formats at selected stores on Hindu festival Thaipusam. "Since its release in India, the show has won a string of awards. Viewers here are lucky as they will be the first in Asia (apart from India) to watch 'Little Krishna'."
— PTI
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Karzai rejects US request to replace minister Arnold to return to acting? Eating worm’s eggs to look thin
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Islamabad, January 1
