W O R L D

Afghan officer opens fire on NATO troops, kills 9
Kabul, April 27
Eight NATO troops and a contractor were killed when an Afghan pilot opened fire today after a r ow at a Kabul training centre in one of the deadliest such attacks since the US-led invasion in 2001.

Soldiers on duty at the Afghan air force compound in Kabul on Wednesday. — AFP

Gaddafi’s daughter tells kids stories of afterlife
New York, April 27
Though the Libyan first family strikes defiant postures publicly, Aisha al-Gaddafi, the lone daughter of the country’s strongman Muammar Gaddafi, says she tells her children bedtime stories of afterlife as she feels they are appropriate in present times.

A man finishes his sand sculpture on the beach in Scheveningen, Netherlands, on Wednesday during the 20th Sandsculpture Festival which takes place every year. This year's theme is 'Give the earth'. — AFP

WikiLeaks: 9/11 mastermind killed Pearl despite warnings
Boston, April 27
9/11 attacks mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was warned by a senior Al-Qaeda military commander not to kill Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002 and that he should be “freed” but the American was killed anyway, according to leaked WikiLeaks documents.

Radiation level up at Ohio plant
Cleveland, April 27
High radiation levels recorded at a nuclear reactor in northeast Ohio have prompted a special inspection by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Workers at the Perry Nuclear Power Plant immediately evacuated it on April 22 when radiation levels rose, while it was shutting down for a refuelling outage, the commission said yesterday.

Royal dress rehearsal on London streets
London, April 27
As thousands of tourists arrive here for the Royal wedding on Friday, nearly 1,000 members of Britain's armed forces today conducted a dawn dress rehearsal on the streets of London in full ceremonial clothing.

Afghan officer opens fire on NATO troops, kills 9

The trigger An Afghan official said the shooting was the result of an argument and was not a terrorist act and identified the gunman as a 50-year-old pilot from a well-respected Kabul family

Kabul, April 27
Eight NATO troops and a contractor were killed when an Afghan pilot opened fire today after a r ow at a Kabul training centre in one of the deadliest such attacks since the US-led invasion in 2001.

The killings appeared to stem from an argument rather than terrorism, but served to highlight the prevailing insecurity in Afghanistan, 10 years after foreign troops ousted the Taliban from power. They were also likely to raise questions over a massive NATO-led effort to expand and train Afghanistan’s military and police so they can take over when foreign combat operations are scheduled to end in 2014. The NATO-led training mission in Afghanistan confirmed that eight international troops and a contractor died in the shooting, but did not reveal the nationality of the troops killed in line with policy.

Afghan Defence Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Zahir Azimi earlier gave further details of the clash, which is now over. “At around 0630 GMT within the air force compound, an argument took place between an (Afghan) air force officer and foreign colleagues,” he said. “An exchange of fire followed. A number have been killed and injured.”

The Afghan pilot was shot dead by Afghan soldiers, following the killings, which took place at a site shared by Kabul’s military and civilian airports, he added. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the incident in a text message to AFP, although the militants are known routinely to exaggerate their claims. But an Afghan official, speaking on condition of anonymity, identified the gunman as a 50-year-old pilot from a well-respected Kabul family, and said the shooting was the result of an argument and was not a terrorist act.

The pilot is thought to have used a pistol in the shooting, the source added. The deaths are thought to represent the highest number of foreign forces killed in a single incident since September, when nine ISAF troops were killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan. It is also thought to be the deadliest incident for NATO troops at the hands of an Afghan dressed in military uniform. — AFP

Gaddafi’s daughter tells kids stories of afterlife

New York, April 27
Though the Libyan first family strikes defiant postures publicly, Aisha al-Gaddafi, the lone daughter of the country’s strongman Muammar Gaddafi, says she tells her children bedtime stories of afterlife as she feels they are appropriate in present times.

“To make them ready,” the 36-year-old lawyer by training said, offering a glimpse into the increasingly fatalistic mind setup of the isolated family at the head of the battle for Libya, the bloodiest arena in the popular uprising sweeping the region.

“Because in time of war we never know when a rocket or bomb might hit you and that will be the end,” Aisha said in reflections in complete contrast to her brother Saif al-Islam and her father, who have declared that the NATO or US air and missile strikes can not harm them.

The coalition forces have struck thrice at Gaddafi’s sprawling Bab al-Aziziya compound, but each time the strongman has escaped.

Though the Libyan authorities refused to disclose where Gaddafi is camping, rebel sources say he has built a huge underground bunker deep down in the compound to withstand strikes by military fighters and missiles.

But, US officials have made it clear that Gaddafi will have no respite with Defence Secretary Robert Gates saying Libyan military command centres “wherever we find them” are legitimate targets for US and NATO air attacks, implying that Gaddafi himself is increasingly in danger.

In a rare interview to New York Times, Aisha claimed that the present crisis has pulled the family together “like one hand”.

Aisha, who makes public appearances even at the height of western strikes on her nation, drew comparisons between the plight of Libya at present and American intervention in Iraq. — PTI

WikiLeaks: 9/11 mastermind killed Pearl despite warnings

Boston, April 27
9/11 attacks mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was warned by a senior Al-Qaeda military commander not to kill Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002 and that he should be “freed” but the American was killed anyway, according to leaked WikiLeaks documents.

38-year-old Pearl, who was the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, was beheaded by his Pakistani captors in February 2002 after being abducted.

“A senior Al Qaeda military commander strongly warned Khalid Shaikh Mohammed not to kill Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel in 2002, cautioning him ‘it would not be wise to murder Pearl’ and that he (Pearl) should ‘be returned back to one of the previous groups who held him, or freed’," said a report in the Los Angeles Times.

Quoting US military documents posted by WikiLeaks, the report said Mohammed told his US interrogators at Guantanamo Bay that he cut off Pearl’s head anyway. Former top Al Qaeda military commander Sayfal-Adl was “outspoken in cautioning Mohammed against killing the reporter”, said the report.

Mohammed, however, turned for guidance to another Al-Qaeda leader, identified as Sharif al-Masri, the group’s chief financial officer, and the two of them “disagreed with Adl on this point”. — PTI

Radiation level up at Ohio plant

Cleveland, April 27
High radiation levels recorded at a nuclear reactor in northeast Ohio have prompted a special inspection by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Workers at the Perry Nuclear Power Plant immediately evacuated it on April 22 when radiation levels rose, while it was shutting down for a refuelling outage, the commission said yesterday.

Plant officials do not believe workers were exposed to radiation levels “in excess of NRC limits,” said the commission.

“The plant is in a safe condition and there has been no impact to workers or members of the public from this issue,” the commission said in a statement. Radiation levels rose while workers were removing a monitor that measures nuclear reactions during start-up, low-power operations and shutdown, the commission said. — AP

Royal dress rehearsal on London streets

London, April 27
As thousands of tourists arrive here for the Royal wedding on Friday, nearly 1,000 members of Britain's armed forces today conducted a dawn dress rehearsal on the streets of London in full ceremonial clothing.

Britain is reputed to hold such events better than any country, and the key to this is practice. Every aspect of the arrangements for Friday is being practiced to the last detail, including music, flowers, sound systems, drinks, food and security.

Before dawn today, members of the army, navy and the air force, who will be on duty on the day, wore full ceremonial uniform and left Wellington Barracks in Westminster to take part in the dress rehearsal. Soldiers lined the route to the Cenotaph, outside the entrance to Downing Street, from where the Royal Air Force personnel lined the road to Horse Guards Parade.

Army personnel lined Parliament Street and several companies of the Royal Navy lined the conclusion of the route. — PTI