The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Violence across Syria leaves 21 dead Beirut, June 28 Violence killed at least 21 people, including 11 civilians, in Syria today after one of the bloodiest days of the 15-month revolt left nearly 150 dead, a human rights watchdog said. Seven people, including one rebel, were killed in the Damascus suburb of Douma when troops surrounded it, meeting fierce resistance from rebel fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. In the town of Irbin, four soldiers were killed in an ambush by rebels, the Britain-based Observatory said. South of Damascus, one civilian was killed and dozens wounded in shelling by government forces of the town of Harak, it added. In Deir Ezzor in the east, a child killed in shelling was one of two people who died amid fierce fighting between rebels and troops backed by helicopters in several neighbourhoods of the city, the watchdog said. Four rebels were killed in clashes with troops and militia in Al-Hassan village in the central province of Homs, while two civilians were killed in shelling elsewhere in the province. Elsewhere in central Syria, regime forces and militia stormed several villages in Hama province. And in the northwestern province of Idlib, a rebel fighter was killed, the Observatory said. The deaths came after at least 149 people, 77 of them civilians, were killed yesterday in one of the bloodiest days of the uprising, the Observatory said. The bloodshed sparked overnight demonstrations in a string of cities, including Damascus and the second-largest city Aleppo, said the Local Coordination Committees, which organise protests on ground. In one video uploaded to YouTube, which LCC said was filmed in Rukneddin district of Damascus, dozens of protesters are seen raising flag of the revolution and shouting: "Come come, O freedom!" In another clip, which LCC said was filmed in southern city of Daraa, dozens of demonstrators are seen chanting: "It is better to die than live without dignity!" More than 15,800 people have been killed in Syria, majority of them civilians, since start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's rule in March last year, according to the Observatory’s figures. — AFP 3 hurt in damascus blast Rebel forces attacked Syria's main court in central Damascus on Thursday, state television said, while Turkey deployed troops and anti-aircraft rocket launchers to the Syrian border, building pressure on President Bashar al-Assad. There was a loud explosion and a column of black smoke rose over Damascus, an Assad stronghold that until the last few days had seemed largely beyond the reach of rebels. State television described it as a "terrorist" blast. Dozens of wrecked and burning cars were strewn over a car park used by lawyers and judges. State news agency SANA said three people were wounded by the bomb hidden in one of the cars. The guerrilla attack in Damascus coincided with a Turkish military buildup on its border to the north and a growing sense of urgency in Western- and Arab-backed diplomatic efforts to forge a unity government and end 16 months of bloodshed. Turkish military convoys moved slowly towards the Syrian frontier, reacting to Syria’s shooting down of a Turkish warplane over the Mediterranean on Friday. A Turkish official said they were reinforcing air defences. — Reuters
	Suicide attack kills 13 in Pak, another blast claims 5 lives Islamabad, June 28 At least eight people were killed and over 30 injured when a suicide bomber today targeted a bus bringing back Pakistani Shia pilgrims from Iran in Quetta city. The blast ripped through the bus and a police vehicle in Hazarganji area of Quetta, the capital of southwestern province of Balochistan. The bus, escorted by two police vans, was bringing back pilgrims from Iran. Officials at two hospitals said they had received eight bodies. Two policemen were among the dead, witnesses said. Several women and policemen were among those hurt. Some of the wounded were in a serious condition, officials said. Officials were quoted by TV news channels as saying the bus was targeted by a suicide bomber. Meanwhile, at least five persons were killed and 18 others injurd when a powerful bomb went off at a railway station in the restive Balochistan province of southwest Pakistan, officials said. The bomb, hidden in a tea stall on the platform of Sibi railway station, was triggered by remote control late at night while the Jaffar Express train was at the station. "Five persons, including a railway policeman, were killed and 18 were injured. Eight of the injured are in a critical condition," Deputy Commissioner Shahid Saleem Qureshi told the media. — PTI
	terror links Pak ex-minister detained at US airport Houston, June 28 Former Pakistani minister Shaikh Rashid, known for his pro-LeT leanings, was detained at Houston airport on arrival for his possible links with the terror group's founder Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the Mumbai attacks. 61-year-old Rashid, leader of the Awami Muslim League of Pakistan, was detained soon after he arrived by an Emirates flight last evening and was freed after five hours of interrogation. Sources said Rashid was detained for his possible links with Saeed. It is understood that he was scheduled to attend a fundraiser and meetings with his supporters in the US. The US Department of Homeland Security was not immediately available for any comments. According to Pakistan's Geo News channel, the former minister was released after Pakistan's Ambassador to the US, Sherry Rehman, asked the Pakistani consulate here to help him out. Following her directives, Pakistan's Consul General in Houston, Aqil Nadeem, reached the airport to talk to the immigration authorities following which the former minister was allowed to leave the airport after five hours of interrogation, it said. Rashid had, in the recent past, actively attended the rallies and meetings organised by Defa-e Pakistan Council, an alliance of extremist and hardline groups formed by JuD chief Saeed. — PTI
	Egypt’s former oil minister jailed for 15 years Cairo, June 28 A criminal court today jailed a former Mubarak-era cabinet minister and a businessman for 15 years each for selling Israel natural gas below market value. "The Cairo criminal court sentenced former oil minister Sameh Fahmi and fugitive businessman Hussein Salem to 15 years in prison each over the (Israel) gas deal," the source told AFP. They were accused "of exporting gas to Israel at below market value" undermining the interests of Egypt, the source added. Five former high ranking officials from the oil and gas authority received jail sentences raging from three to 10 years on similar charges, the source added. Military rulers who took over power in Egypt after veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak was ousted by massive streets protests in February 2011 launched sweeping probe into corruption. In April, Egypt's new rulers cancelled a controversial 15-year deal to export gas to Israel which was signed in 2005 but said they would be ready to negotiate a new agreement. Egypt supplies roughly 40 per cent of Israel's gas supplies. Sale of gas to Israel, which signed a peace treaty with Egypt in 1979, has always been controversial in the Arab world's most populous country. Bedouin militants have bombed the gas pipeline — which also supplies Jordan — in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula at least 14 times since the uprising that toppled Mubarak. Exports to Israel were launched in 2008, three years after the accord which came in for heavy criticism at the time from Egypt's then banned Muslim Brotherhood. — AFP
	‘Sans Pak support, US may go for airlift in Afghanistan’ Washington, June 28 The US would have to rely on extensive use of airlift during 2014 drawdown of troops from Afghanistan if ground routes closed by Pakistan do not open in time, a Pentagon commander has said. He also acknowledged that the closure of ground lines of communication (GLOCs) by Pakistan in protest against the NATO raid that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November last year has proved to be costly for the United States. Transportation of one container of goods from the US to Afghanistan through the Northern Distribution Network costs around $20,000. — PTI
	‘Unpopular pupils could suffer health ailments later’ London, June 28 Being unpopular in class could make you ill decades later, a study has revealed. Research has shown that the people who are socially isolated in their teens are more likely to suffer health problems from obesity to high blood pressure when they hit their 40s. The legacy of unhappy schooldays was particularly noticeable among the women studied. The health effects weren't limited to those who were bullied at school, implying that even being slightly socially isolated can be harmful to health. Swedish researchers analysed data from a study that tracked the health and habits of around 900 16-year-olds for 27 years. In the beginning, their teachers were asked to rate how extroverted or introverted they were and their popularity. — ANI
	21 killed in clashes between police, militants in Nigeria Abuja, June 28 At least 17 Boko Haram militants were among 21 people killed in clashes between police and members of the radical group in Nigerian cities of Kano and Damaturu. Sect members numbering 30 attacked a police post at Dala division in Kano city with assault rifles and improvised explosive devices last night, according to the police. "Three of the gunmen were arrested while we diffused 14 improvised explosive devices planted at different locations by them," Kano State Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Idris told PTI over phone. Idris said 17 militants were killed in the clashes and one of his men was shot dead while another was injured. In Damaturu, the militants attacked a police station in Sabon Pegi with firearms killing two civilians and injuring a woman and her child. Yobe State Police Commissioner Patrick Egbuniwe confirmed that there was an exchange of fire between members of the anti-terrorism military unit, Joint Task Force (JTF) and the extremists for about 30 minutes. "There were attacks on a police and military posts by suspected gunmen, where two civilians were killed in the Sabon Pegi ward and the Federal Polytechnic staff quarters," he said. — PTI
	New Pak PM calls for projection of soft image of Pakistan Islamabad, June 28 Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf today called for the projection of the soft image of Pakistan through public diplomacy by encouraging people-to-people contacts, cultural exchanges and promotion of business and trade. Ashraf, who assumed office last week after his predecessor Yousuf Raza Gilani was disqualified by the Supreme Court, made the remarks during a visit to the Foreign Ministry this afternoon. He was given a briefing by Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jillani and senior officials on the country's foreign policy. The premier further emphasized the urgency of interacting with the third generation of expatriate Pakistanis, especially those living in Europe and the US, as sustaining their attachment with the country will be a "great asset". Ashraf directed the Foreign Office to also focus on African countries in view of the "immense potential for bilateral cooperation". Noting that many emerging powers were focussing on these countries, he said the prevalence of goodwill for Pakistan in the African continent should be leveraged to promote Islamabad's interests. The premier also asked officers of the Foreign Ministry to proactively pursue trade diplomacy. — PTI
	Learn lesson from ’62 war: Chinese daily Beijing, June 28 Ahead of the India-China border talks, an official Chinese daily today said both countries need to learn a lesson from the 1962 war that even though Beijing may like peace, it will firmly defend “its” land. Using strong words, the write-up in ruling Communist Party's Global Times' web edition said the 1962 war was to “wake up” former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru from the influence of US and former Soviet Union by giving him a “heavy punch”. It also claimed the real target for Chinese leader Mao Zedong’s ire at that time was Washington and Moscow. “Fifty years ago, when China faced several difficulties both domestically and internationally, Nehru administration, encouraged by the US and the Soviets, brought more trouble to the Sino-Indian border between 1959 and 1962,” the article titled ‘China won, but never wanted, Sino-Indian war’ said. Written by Hong Yuan, deputy secretary-general of Centre of World Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the article focus on China’s victory and Beijing’s “peaceful intentions” in declaring ceasefire despite the success and the “reluctance” with which China fought it. — PTI