|
|
|
|
|
Assad’s deputy never tried to defect: Syria
Typhoon kills 4, causes flooding in Vietnam
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Zardari wants new law to stop forced conversions Malik: Kamra base attackers were trained in Waziristan US rejects diplomatic asylum to Assange Jindal bats for
Romney-Ryan team in US presidential poll
|
|
Assad’s deputy never tried to defect: Syria
Beirut, August 18 Vice-President Farouq al-Shara "never thought for a moment about leaving the country", said a statement from his office broadcast on state television issued in response to reports that the veteran Baath Party loyalist had tried to defect to Jordan. Assad, battling a 17-month-old rebellion led by Syria's Sunni Muslim majority that has turned into a civil war, has suffered a string of defections, including his prime minister Riyadh Hijab two weeks ago. Shara, whose cousin, an intelligence officer, announced his own defection on Thursday, is a Sunni Muslim from Deraa province where the revolt first erupted against Assad, from the minority Alawite sect which is an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam. The 73-year-old former foreign minister kept a low profile as the rebellion escalated but appeared in public last month at a state funeral for three of Assad's top security officials killed in a bomb attack in Damascus. The statement said he had worked since the start of the uprising to find a political solution to end the bloodshed and welcomed the appointment of veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi as a new international mediator for Syria. Brahimi, who hesitated for days to accept a job that France's UN envoy Gerard Araud called an "impossible mission," will replace former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who is stepping down at the end of the month. Annan's six-point plan to end the violence and move towards political negotiations was based on an April ceasefire agreement which never took hold. The conflict has deepened since then with both sides stepping up attacks. Assad's forces have turned increasingly to air power to hold back lightly armed rebels in the capital Damascus and Aleppo, a northern commercial hub. More than 18,000 people have died and some 170,000 have fled the country as a result of the fighting, according to the UN.
— Reuters
|
|
Typhoon kills 4, causes flooding in Vietnam
Hanoi, August 18 The typhoon, which made landfall late yesterday, was downgraded to a tropical depression today but continued to dump water on already flooded parts of the country. A taxi driver was killed when high winds caused a tree to fall on his car in Hanoi, while two others died from electric shock after a cable was felled in northern Son La city, according to an update from authorities. In Bac Giang province a 46-year-old woman died after a hill collapsed burying her house in the middle of the night, VNExpress news site reported. Earlier more than 11,000 boats, including several hundred used by tourists at the UNESCO world heritage site Halong Bay, were ordered to stay close to the shore. The Vietnamese army put 20,000 soldiers backed by helicopters, rescue boats and canoes on standby to handle any incidents. Kai-Tak swept across Philippines' main island of Luzon, dumping heavy rain on the Cagayan basin and other areas in the north, killing four people.
— AFP Kai-Tak causes oil spill in China
Beijing: Typhoon Kai-Tak has caused heavy damage in China's two provinces killing one person and causing economic loss running into $315 million, besides triggering an oil spill. The typhoon, the 13th tropical storm to hit China this year, has left one person dead and two missing in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region so far and about 1,10,000 residents there remain threatened, state-run Xinhua news agency said.
|
|
Zardari wants new law to stop forced conversions
The President made the decision after he was briefed about the concerns of Hindus by his sister Faryal Talpur, a lawmaker of the ruling PPP, and Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah. During a meeting held in Karachi on Thursday, Zardari directed Shah to form a committee under provincial Law Minister Ayaz Soomro to prepare the draft law to amend the Constitution. Elected representatives and leaders of the Hindu Panchayat will be included in the committee, The Express Tribune reported quoting its sources. "The reports of the mass migration of Hindus to India are merely speculative but people of the Hindu community are insisting that a law is made against forced conversions," Chief Minister Shah was quoted as saying by the sources. Zardari directed Talpur and Shah to visit Jacobabad and meet representatives of the Hindu community before the draft law is framed. The President recently formed a committee of three Parliamentarians headed by federal Minister Maula Bux Chandio to meet the Hindu community across Sindh following reports of their mass migration to India due to forced conversions, kidnapping for ransom and extortion demands. — PTI
|
|
|
Malik: Kamra base attackers were trained in Waziristan
Islamabad, August 18 Four of the nine terrorists involved in Thursday's attack on Kamra airbase in Punjab province had been identified, Malik said during an interaction with the media yesterday as he described the North and South Waziristan as a hotbed for criminals. He claimed the attack had been foiled and all the terrorists were killed because of an advance warning about a possible attack on PAF installations. The attackers had been trained in Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan and the raid "could be traced back to North and South Waziristan", he said. The Taliban were harbouring criminals from all over the country and there is a need to trace the mastermind who sent the terrorists to Kamra, he added. His hard comments about terrorists harbouring in Waziristan come as speculation mounted here about a military offensive in the offing in the region. Nine terrorists and two PAF personnel were killed during the attack. A rocket-propelled grenade fired by the attackers damaged a Saab-2000 surveillance aircraft. The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack. — PTI
|
|
|
US rejects diplomatic asylum to Assange
A State Department statement said: "The United States is not a party to the 1954 OAS Convention on Diplomatic Asylum and does not recognise the concept of diplomatic asylum as a matter of international law." The US statement came as the WikiLeaks founder continued to hole up in the Ecuador Embassy in Britain, with no signs yet of his move to seek a passage to Quito. As the stalemate between Britain and Ecuador continued on the issue, Quito has offered to let Assange stay indefinitely in its embassy in London. Ecuador has also turned to OAS to seek support for its move to offer asylum to the fugitive Australian. "We believe this is a bilateral issue between Ecuador and the United Kingdom and that the OAS has no role to play in this matter," the State Department said. Supporters of the WikiLeaks founder believe that Assange is at risk of extradition to the US after angering American authorities by leaking out sensitive diplomatic cables. Ecuador yesterday granted political asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, setting stage for an unprecedented diplomatic stand-off with the UK, which has threatened to extradite him to Sweden come what may. Assange dramatically sought refuge in the Ecuadoran embassy in London to evade extradition to Sweden to face sexual assault charges. — PTI
|
|
|
Jindal bats for
Romney-Ryan team in US presidential poll
On a Republican presidential campaign trail in Virginia, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal batted for the Romney-Ryan team. "I think what Romney and Ryan represent is the preservation of the American dream," Jindal told a local radio station in an interview. Himself a vice-presidential contender in the past, Jindal said Congressman Ryan, as the running mate of Romney, was a great choice. "I think that the selection of Congressman Ryan was a great choice. I think he will appeal to voters across all age groups, demographic groups," he said. Jindal praised Romney's record as Massachusetts Governor. "In Massachusetts, unemployment was below the national average. Per capital income growth was above the national average. Secondly, the contrast. Two very different visions for America, what's at stake in this election," he argued. On Thursday, Jindal and Ryan helped raise $500,000 in a Republican fundraiser.
— PTI
|
|
|
16-yr-old held for Wisconsin killing
Washington, August 18 Identified as Deangelo Williams, the suspect has been charged with first-degree reckless homicide-party to a crime and possession of a firearm by a felon. If convicted he could be sentenced up to 70 years in prison. A high school student, Williams made a court appearance late Friday afternoon. The judge set bail at $250,000. The suspect is scheduled to be back in the court on Monday, a local television station reported. The deceased Dalbir Singh, 56, assisted his nephew Jatinder Singh in running a grocery store in the city. The incident happened on Wednesday night when some unidentified men entered the shop and put a gun to Jatinder Singh head. Jatinder Singh said he and his uncle made it back into the store and pushed the side door shut, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. But one of the men fired a shot through the door, killing Dalbir Singh, it said. Jatinder Singh told police he saw Williams in the store prior to its closing, saying Williams looked around and left without buying anything. He identified Williams to police through a photo lineup.
— PTI
|
|
Miss China is Miss World
Ordos, August 18 India's Vanya Mishra made it to the top seven spot but failed to progress further. She, however, did bag the titles of Miss Social Media and Miss Beauty with a Purpose. In the semifinals, the contestants were asked to perform on the music of their country and Vanya chose to dance on "Dil cheez kya hai" from 1981 film "Umrao Jaan", which landed her a spot in the top seven finalists. Last year's winner, Venezuela's Ivian Sarcos, crowned Wen as the new Miss World at the glittering ceremony held in Dongsheng Fitness Center Stadium here. The competition saw 116 countries competing for the title.
— IANS
|
Brain scan can reveal if you are lying about your age!
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Islamabad, August 18
Washington, August 18
Washington, August 18
