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N Korea’s long-range rocket crashes
Syrian truce marred as Assad forces kill three
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opinion polls
4 plead not guilty to Danish paper ‘massacre plot’
Quota scandal: Gilani’s son denies involvement Nod to non-lethal NATO supplies through Pak Zardari seeks Chishti’s repatriation
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N Korea’s long-range rocket crashes
Seoul, April 13 According to Japanese broadcaster NHK, citing a defence ministry source in Tokyo, the rocket flew for 120 km (75 miles) and then broke up into four pieces, crashing into waters off the west coast of the Korean peninsula. South Korea's army said debris had crashed into the sea some 200 km off the western coast of South Korea. "South Korean and US intelligence understand that North Korea's missile launch failed," a spokesman for the South's defence ministry told reporters at a briefing. North Korea said it wanted the Unha-3 rocket to put a weather satellite into orbit, although critics believed it was designed to enhance the capacity of North Korea to design a ballistic missile deliver a nuclear warhead capable of hitting the continental United States. Officials from Japan confirmed the mission had failed, while ABC News cited US officials saying it had failed, although there was no immmediate indication of where it fell. The rocket's flight was set to take it over a sea separating the Korean peninsula from China, with an eventual launch of a third stage of the rocket in seas near the Philippines that would have put the satellite into orbit. This will be North Korea's second consecutive failure to get a satellite into orbit, although it claimed success with a 2009 launch. There was no immediate comment on Friday's launch from North Korea's official media. The Unha-3 rocket took off from a new launch site on the west coast of North Korea, near the Chinese border. The launch had been timed to coincide with the 100th birthday celebrations of the isolated and impoverished state's founder, Kim Il-sung, and in fact came after a food aid deal with the United States of America had hinted at an easing of tensions on the world’s most militarised border. — Reuters A third nuclear test in offing? Pyongyang: North Korea may conduct its third nuclear weapon test in an attempt to save face after the failed launch of an Uhna-3 rocket, analysts have claimed. According to reports, satellite imagery recorded by analysts showing what looks like preparations similar to the communist regime’s previous patterns of behavior with missile tests followed by bomb tests, suggest that the country might conduct its third nuclear test. — ANI N Korean leader leads mass rally Pyongyang: North Korea’s new leader Kim Jong-Un on Friday led a mass rally for his late father and grandfather following the country’s failed rocket launch. The defiant launch drew condemnation from world leaders who described it as a “provocative” act that threatened regional security, despite Pyongyang insisting it was intended to put a satellite into orbit for peaceful purposes. But Jong-Un proudly appeared for a ceremony attended by tens of thousands crowding a central area in Pyongyang to honour new large statues of the nation’s founding president Kim Il-Sung and his son and longtime ruler Kim Jong-Il. — AFP Ally china calls for ‘calm’ Beijing: China, a key ally of North Korea, has appealed for “calm and restraint” from the international community after Pyongyang's failed rocket launch drew strong condemnation from the US and its allies. Reacting cautiously to failure of rocket launch of its close ally, it called on all "relevant sides" to maintain calm and restraint in a bid to avoid any move that could escalate tensions in the region. — PTI
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Syrian truce marred as Assad forces kill three Beirut, April 13
Syrians took to the streets across the country in small demonstrations after prayers, trusting that the truce, now in its second day, would protect them from the army bullets that have frightened off peaceful protesters for months. Security forces shot dead at least one person in Hama as demonstrators tried to converge on a central square, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. In the southern province of Deraa, where the uprising began, a man was shot dead as worshippers left a mosque in the town of Nawa. A third man was killed by security forces in the town of Salqeen in the northwestern province of Idlib, activists said. Syria's state news agency SANA blamed two of the deaths on the opposition, saying an "armed terrorist group" shot dead the man in Salqeen and attributing the death of the Hama protester to a shot fired by a fellow demonstrator. It also said "terrorists" shot dead an army major as he drove to work at his army unit, saying armed groups were seeking to "destroy any effort to find a political solution to the crisis" in Syria. There were few reports of violence elsewhere, but activists said security forces were out in strength to prevent any major anti-Assad rallies around the country. Assad's opponents had called for mass demonstrations to test whether authorities would tolerate a return to peaceful protests, as Annan's six-point peace plan said they should. But rallies videoed by activists were far smaller than the huge, chanting crowds seen in major cities at the start of the uprising 13 months ago and on several occasions in 2011. International pressure has grown for Syria to fulfil all its commitments to the former UN chief by withdrawing troops and heavy weapons, permitting humanitarian and media access, releasing prisoners and discussing a political transition. — Reuters
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opinion polls Paris, April 13 A CSA poll showed Hollande extending his lead over Sarkozy, with the conservative incumbent's modest gains of the past month starting to evaporate ahead of a two-round contest taking place on April 22 and May 6. The poll showed Hollande winning the May 6 decider with 57 per cent of the vote, and two other recent surveys also suggested his chances of becoming the first left-wing president since Francois Mitterrand were strengthening. Sarkozy said he had helped France weather economic crisis. — Reuters
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4 plead not guilty to Danish paper ‘massacre plot’ Copenhagen, April 13 The four men — three Swedish nationals and one Tunisian resident of Sweden — face charges of "attempted terrorism" over what prosecutors say was a plot to "kill a large number of people" at the Jyllands-Posten daily's offices in Copenhagen. Jyllands-Posten published a dozen cartoons that triggered violent and sometimes deadly protests around the world. A machine gun with a silencer, a revolver and 108 bullets and reams of duct tape were among the items found in the men's possession when they were arrested on December 29, 2010. The four, aged 29, 30, 37 and 44 at the time of their arrest, pleaded not guilty through lawyers. — AFP
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Quota scandal: Gilani’s son denies involvement An emphatic Ali Musa Gilani son of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has denied any involvement in the Ephedrine quota scandal and said that his family was deliberately ‘targeted’ in the case. Speaking to various TV channels from South Africa, the premier’s younger son claimed innocence and said Brigadier Fahim, who had testified in the Supreme Court against him, had yet to present solid evidence. “From what I have heard on television, a person Tauqeer who claimed I had influential links asked for the quota acting as my personal secretary,” Ali Musa said, denying he knew this man. According to reports, Tauqeer Ahmed Khan had helped two pharmaceutical companies in getting the illegal quotas.
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Nod to non-lethal NATO supplies through Pak Islamabad, April 13 The resolution was based on guidelines worked out by bipartisan Parliamentary Committee on National Security for the country’s strategic priorities and reshaping terms of engagement with the US. — TNS
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hyped long-range rocket apparently crashed into the sea a few minutes after launch on Friday, South Korean and other officials said, dealing a blow to the prestige of the reclusive and impoverished state.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy defended his economic record on Friday as a slew of opinion polls suggested his prospects of re-election were crumbling just over a week from round one of a vote where Socialist Francois Hollande is clear frontrunner.
Pyongyang had defied international pressure from the United States and others to push ahead with the launch, which even its close ally China had warned against. 