The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Seven countries expel Syrian envoys over Houla massacre

London, May 29
Seven Western governments expelled Syrian diplomats from their capitals today in a coordinated action against President Bashar al-Assad's government spurred by revulsion over the killing of more than 100 civilians in a Syrian town.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius called Assad a murderer and Australia's Bob Carr said those responsible for the massacre at Houla would be held to account.

"Bashar al-Assad is the murderer of his people. He must relinquish power. The sooner the better," Fabius said in an interview with French daily Le Monde.

Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Spain announced the expulsions after consultations with each other on what they called unacceptable levels of violence.

The action marked a new phase in the international effort to halt the repression of a 14-month-old uprising against Assad and to force him to relinquish power.

The immediate catalyst was Friday's massacre in Houla, including women and children, although the international community is increasingly frustrated at the failure of a UN-brokered peace plan to end the bloodshed in Syria.

"This is a country that is committing such horrors that we cannot deal with them at an ambassador level," a French diplomatic source said. "This decision was made following the Houla massacre. It was coordinated among several countries."

Syrian officials denied any army role in the massacre, one of the worst single incidents in the conflict.

British Foreign Minister William Hague said the expulsions aimed to tell Assad and his ruling elite that time was running out for them to comply with the peace plan.

Meanwhile, International mediator Kofi Annan told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday that "bold steps" were required for his six-point peace plan to succeed, including a halt to violence and release of people arrested in the uprising, a statement said.

"Joint Special Envoy Kofi Annan met President Bashar al-Assad this morning to convey the grave concern of the international community about the violence in Syria, including in particular the recent events in Houla.

"He conveyed in frank terms his view to President Assad that the six-point plan cannot succeed without bold steps to stop the violence and release detainees, and stressed the importance of full implementation of the plan," said the statement issued by his spokesman Ahmad Fawzi after talks in Damascus.

Earlier, the UN human rights office said that fewer than 20 of the 108 people confirmed as having been killed in a massacre in Houla died from artillery and tank fire, with most of the rest shot in their homes. — Agencies

15 dead as quake hits Italy
Fresh misery: Thousands still homeless after May 20 tremor

A damaged car lies amid rubble after Tuesday’s earthquake. — AFP

Cavezzo, May 29
An earthquake killed at least 15 persons in northern Italy today, damaging buildings and spreading panic among thousands of residents still living in tents after a tremor in the same region destroyed their homes just over a week ago.

Officials said several people were trapped under the rubble of houses and warehouses in the Emilia-Romagna region, where several building sites and workshops had just reopened after the previous quake on May 20.

Civil protection officials said 15 persons were confirmed dead. Seven people were killed in the May 20 quake that, like Tuesday's, had its epicentre not far from the city of Modena.

Italian television showed buildings shaking and collapsing, ambulances racing across towns and rescue workers battling to remove rubble.

Workshops and factories outside Cavezzo, a village about 30 km from Modena, suffered considerable damage, a Reuters reporter said.

Sports car maker Ferrari and motorcycle firm Ducati closed their plants in the region for safety reasons.

The 5.8-magnitude quake was felt across northern and central Italy, including in the most populous northern city Milan. The area was hit by several large aftershocks, one of 5.6 magnitude.

The quake was the most deadly to strike Italy since 2009 when a tremor partially destroyed the central city of L'Aquila, killing about 300 and leaving thousands homeless. — Reuters

Delhi-based writer wins UK prize

London, May 29
Delhi-based Rahul Bhattacharya today became the first Indian writer to win the prestigious Ondaatje Prize 2012 for his book — 'The Sly Company of People Who Care' — about an Indian journalist's adventures.

The £10,000 award is given by the Royal Society of Literature annually to a work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry which evokes the "spirit of a place", and which is written by someone who is a citizen of or who has been resident in the Commonwealth or Ireland.

Bhattacharya's book, published by Picador, was described by judge Michele Roberts as "one of the most exhilarating novels I have read for years".

Roberts added: "This picaresque story, funny, tough and romantic, swerves around all kinds of inner and outer landscapes and offers unforgettable vignettes of a host of characters. He has invented a beautiful and original language, mixing street poetry and sharply sensual poetry."

Bhattacharya is the author of the cricket tour book Pundits from Pakistan, fourth in The Wisden Cricketers' list of best cricket books of all time, and winner of the Crossword Award for most popular book, 2005. 'The Sly Company of People Who Care' was also the winner of the Hindu Literary Prize 2011 and was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize 2011. — PTI

Pak tests N-capable missile
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

The Hatf IX short-range nuclear-capable ballistic missile takes off on Tuesday. — AFP

Pakistan on Tuesday successfully carried out a test of its quick reaction tactical nuclear-capable Hatf IX missile with a range of 60 km, aimed at "deterring evolving threats at shorter range." The military described the test of the "indigenously developed short range, surface-to-surface multi-tube missile Hatf IX" or Nasr as successful.

A military statement said the missile can carry "nuclear warheads of appropriate yield with high accuracy and possesses shoot and scoot attributes". "This quick response system addresses the need to deter evolving threats, specially at shorter ranges," it said.

It did not say where the test was conducted. The first test of the Hatf IX was conducted in April last year.

At the time, experts and analysts said the short-range missile was primarily aimed at deterring India's Cold Start military doctrine, which envisages quick thrusts by small integrated battle groups in the event of hostilities.

Nepal Prez asks Bhattarai to function as caretaker PM

Kathmandu, May 29
Nepal President Ram Baran Yadav today restricted Baburam Bhattarai's role to a caretaker Prime Minister even as major parties demanded the premier's resignation to pave the way for the formation of a national consensus government to end the raging political crisis.

Citing the Interim Constitution, the President has directed Bhattarai to perform the day-to-day affairs of the state as a caretaker prime minister till the other council of ministers is formed, the President's office said in a statement.

Bhattarai's Constituent Assembly membership has also ended with the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly, the statement added.

The President has also asked all the political parties to move ahead through consensus in view of the current political crisis in the country, the statement said. — PTI

Suu Kyi leaves for first visit abroad in 24 years

Yangon, May 29
In her first visit abroad in 24 years, most of which were spent under house arrest, Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi left for Thailand today to attend a World Economic Forum meet ahead of her European tour, ending a long spell of isolation and announcing her arrival on the global stage.

Suu Kyi is expected to meet Thai Premier Yingluck Shinawatra She is also likely to meet Myanmar communities during her stay in the eastern neighbour, apart from attending the World Economic Forum on East Asia in Bangkok. Her overseas travel for the first time since 1988 comes as dramatic political reforms sweep Myanmar after decades of outright military rule ended in 2011.

Suu Kyi had refused to go abroad fearing that she would never be allowed to return by the then junta which denied her dying husband a visa to visit her from Britain. — PTI

Qaida’s second in command in Afghanistan killed

Kabul, May 29
NATO today said that Al-Qaida's second in command in Afghanistan had been killed in an air strike near the Pakistani border.

The US-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan said Saudi-born Sakhr al-Taifi, also known as Musthaq and Nasim, commanded foreign fighters and directed attacks on NATO and Afghan troops.

It described him as Qaida's "second highest leader in Afghanistan", saying he frequently travelled between Afghanistan and Pakistan, "carrying out commands from senior Qaida leadership". He also supplied weapons and equipment to insurgents, and managed the transport of insurgent fighters into Afghanistan, the military said.

NATO said he was killed in an air strike on Sunday with "one additional Al-Qaida terrorist in Watahpur district, Kunar province" which borders Pakistan. — AFP