W O R L D

Guns fall silent in Syria as UN ceasefire comes into effect
Beirut, April 12
Syrian troops held their fire in the hours after a UN-backed ceasefire took effect at dawn on Thursday, casting a silence over rebellious towns they had bombarded heavily in recent days.

The interior of a damaged bus allegedly targeted by an explosive device in Aleppo. — AFP

Iran firm, says no atomic retreat
Tehran, April 12
Iran "will not retreat an iota" from its nuclear rights, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, ahead of weekend talks in Istanbul with world powers over Tehran's atomic activities.

A bronze statue showing the head and shoulders of a donkey dressed in a suit, collared shirt and tie, unveiled by a political party called the Donkey’s Party in Iraq. — AFP

8 militants killed in Yemen
Aden, Yemen, April 12
At least eight fighters linked to Al-Qaida were killed in Yemen on Thursday, officials and tribal sources said, as a government offensive against Islamist insurgents entered its fourth day.

Five dead in massive Indonesian quake: Officials
Jakarta, April 12
Five people died and at least seven were injured as massive earthquakes struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island, officials said today.

Angry Afghans chop off ears of roadside bomb suspect
Kandahar, April 12
Angry residents in the southern Afghan province of Helmand today chopped off the ears of a man accused of planting a roadside bomb that killed two civilians, an official said.

Cabinet reshuffle in Pakistan
In a Cabinet reshuffle, the former chairman Senate Farooq H Naek was sworn in as law minister as Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani shuffled the legal team. President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and some federal ministers attended the oath-taking ceremony.

Pak set to restore transit facilities for NATO supplies
Pakistan appears all set to restore during next couple of days transit facilities for the NATO supplies with certain conditions. The Parliamentary Committee on Thursday finalised its recommendations after the JUI ended its boycott.

Guns fall silent in Syria as UN ceasefire comes into effect
Government troops hold fire; bomb kills soldier in Aleppo

Beirut, April 12
Syrian troops held their fire in the hours after a UN-backed ceasefire took effect at dawn on Thursday, casting a silence over rebellious towns they had bombarded heavily in recent days.

But the lull did little to convince opposition activists and Western powers of President Bashar al-Assad’s good faith in observing a peace plan agreed with international envoy Kofi Annan. In defiance of that deal, Syrian troops and tanks were still in position inside many towns, activists told Reuters.

A report on state media that a “terrorist” bomb blasted an army bus and killed a senior officer in Aleppo after the truce began raised a possibility troops will keep a pledge to hit back. State media also reported a bomb wounding officers near Idlib and a ruling party member shot dead in Deraa in the south.

The Syrian government bars access to most independent media.

The exile opposition called the ceasefire "only partially observed" due to the army's failure to leave the streets and its leader urged a renewal on Friday of peaceful protests, which have been subdued of late by fear. But he warned those who might take part that they could expect government forces to open fire.

The Interior Ministry urged rebels to surrender, promising to free those who had not killed, and broadcast an appeal to the thousands who fled battered cities like Homs and Hama to return from the havens they found in Turkey, Lebanon and within Syria.

But streets in troubled towns remained nervously empty. An exile opposition spokeswoman said three people had been killed during the morning by security forces, and dozens more arrested.

Speaking after the 6 am (0300 GMT) UN deadline passed, Abu Rami, an activist in Homs said, "It was a bloody night. There was heavy shelling on the city ... But now it is calm, and there is no shooting." Assaults on restive neighbourhoods had become more intense after Assad accepted Annan's timetable.

Government spokesman Jihad Makdissi, speaking before the report of the bombing of the army bus, said Damascus was "fully committed" to Annan's success and that there would be no breach of the ceasefire by the government if the rebels did not attack. — Reuters

UN could approve Syria monitors

United Nations: The UN Security Council could approve on Friday a resolution to send unarmed UN observers to Syria to monitor a fragile ceasefire in the 13-month conflict that has brought the country to the brink of civil war, diplomats said. UN Arab League peace envoy Kofi Annan has called for 200 to 250 unarmed UN-mandated observers to monitor the ceasefire. The Security Council is due to meet to discuss a draft resolution to approve the monitoring mission.

Iran firm, says no atomic retreat

Tehran, April 12
Iran "will not retreat an iota" from its nuclear rights, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, ahead of weekend talks in Istanbul with world powers over Tehran's atomic activities.

"The Iranian nation is standing firm on its fundamental rights and under the harshest pressure will not retreat an iota from its undeniable right," Ahmadinejad said in a speech in the southern town of Minab, according to the official IRNA news agency.

"On behalf of the Iranian nation, I advise the enemies and the arrogance (the United States) to change their behaviour towards our nation, and they should know that the Iranians are standing firm in defending their rights," he said.

His language indicated a defiant attitude by Iran as its negotiators go into the Istanbul talks on Saturday across from representatives of the so-called P5+1 group comprising the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany. It will be the first negotiations since talks broke off in a failed round in January 2011 that was also held in Istanbul.

Tehran's stated aim in the upcoming talks is to have the world recognise its rights to peaceful nuclear energy — including the contentious issue of enriching uranium, which, when purified to high levels, can be used to make an atomic bomb. Iran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons.

But most of the West is unconvinced, and is piling on economic sanctions to get Tehran to agree to more invasive inspections and a cap on uranium enrichment to prevent any nuclear military activities. — AFP

8 militants killed in Yemen

Aden, Yemen, April 12
At least eight fighters linked to Al-Qaida were killed in Yemen on Thursday, officials and tribal sources said, as a government offensive against Islamist insurgents entered its fourth day. Residents and officials said three strikes by Yemeni warplanes on areas controlled by militant group Ansar al-Sharia killed at least six fighters near the southern town of Lawdar.

One strike hit an army tank that had been captured by the militants on Monday, killing everyone inside it, the sources said. Two other air strikes were on posts held by militants but no casualties were reported.

Two militants were also killed in clashes with army-allied tribesmen who tried to stop a group of armed men from Ansar al-Sharia joining forces with militants in Lawdar, said an official in the city of Mudiyah, 15 km (10 miles) to the east. One tribesman died in the fighting.

Reeling from a year of political upheaval that eventually unseated former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen is grappling with militants who have exploited weakened central government control to expand their influence, particularly in the south. At least 150 people have been killed in fighting and air strikes in Lawdar area since Monday when Ansar al-Sharia attacked a military camp there, officials say. Ansar al-Sharia said in a statement on Wednesday seven of its fighters had died in those clashes. Another four militants, among them a foreigner, were killed in shelling by army on the southern city of Zinjibar on Wednesday, an official said. — Reuters

Five dead in massive Indonesian quake: Officials

Jakarta, April 12
Five people died and at least seven were injured as massive earthquakes struck off Indonesia's Sumatra island, officials said today. They said they believed at least two people died of heart attacks and three others died of shock.

"Based on data collected on victims and damage, five people died, one person is critically injured and six others had minor injuries," National Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said.

All of the casualties were in Aceh province, where 170,000 people died in a 2004 tsunami, he said.

Nugroho said the critically injured victim was a child who fell from a tree during the quake in Aceh province yesterday.

Communities in the most vulnerable areas on Sumatra island have gone back to their daily lives, Nugroho said. — AFP

Angry Afghans chop off ears of roadside bomb suspect

Kandahar, April 12
Angry residents in the southern Afghan province of Helmand today chopped off the ears of a man accused of planting a roadside bomb that killed two civilians, an official said.

Two teenagers were killed and six others, including three children, were wounded earlier today when a blast tore through their vehicle in Garmser district, Helmand provincial spokesman Daud Ahmadi told AFP.

"Following the incident, the residents of the area arrested the alleged mine planter and wanted to hang him in public," Ahmadi said.

Police and the local district governor were forced to intervene to save the man's life, but the furious residents had already cut off his ears, Ahmadi said. More than 3,000 civilians were killed in the war in Afghanistan in 2011, according to the United Nations, with Taliban insurgents blamed for the bulk of the deaths. — AFP

Cabinet reshuffle in Pakistan
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

In a Cabinet reshuffle, the former chairman Senate Farooq H Naek was sworn in as law minister as Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani shuffled the legal team. President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and some federal ministers attended the oath-taking ceremony.

Naek replaces Maula Bux Chandio, who is likely to be assigned a new portfolio.

Irfan Qadir was named new Attorney General in place of Molvi Anwarul Haq. Qadir was recently appointed special prosecutor, National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Molvi Anwar is currently assisting the Supreme Court as prosecutor in his capacity as Attorney-General in the contempt case again PM Gilani. Qadir will now take up this assignment.

Also, the Prime Minister conferred the status of Federal Minister on Sherry Rehman, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US. Meanwhile, speculations about replacement of Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar persisted despite denial by the PM House. Media reports say Rehman or Raza Rabbani Khar may be named new the Foreign Minister.

Rehman has been in Islamabad for the last three weeks and has lobbied for resumption of NATO supply. She and Rabbani met Maulana Fazl-ur Rehman on Wednesday and convinced him to end boycott of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security which is currently reviewing foreign policy and reshaping engagement terms with the US.

Pak set to restore transit facilities for NATO supplies
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

Pakistan appears all set to restore during next couple of days transit facilities for the NATO supplies with certain conditions. The Parliamentary Committee on Thursday finalised its recommendations after the JUI ended its boycott.

The joint session of the Parliament currently in session is expected to adopt a consensus resolution tonight or Friday morning spelling out conditions for resumption of supplies.

The panel resolved the stalemate by recommending that the NATO containers passing through Pakistan would not carry arms to offset any negative response from Taliban.

The panel delinked the earlier condition of halt to drone attacks by the United States and left it to the executive to work out a satisfactory solution to the issue in negotiations with the US. Pakistan will charge taxes and fees for use of its roads and other facilities for NATO supplies.