W O R L D

We’ll target Pak secular parties, warns Taliban
Islamabad, December 11
The Pakistani Taliban said it would carry out more attacks on "secular" political parties like the Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), warning people to stay away from their rallies, a day after a blast outside an ANP gathering injured about 10 persons.

Radio network will give Aus $5 lakh to dead nurse’s family
Melbourne, December 11
An Australian radio network, whose prank call to a British hospital treating a pregnant Kate Middleton led to the death of an Indian-origin nurse, today said it would contribute at least 5,00,000 dollars to a memorial fund to help the grieving family of the woman. Jacintha Saldanha

DSK settles lawsuit with hotel maid
New York, December 11
IMF former chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and a hotel maid, who had accused him of sexual assault, have settled the lawsuit she had filed against him for an undisclosed sum.

Guru Nanak Jayanti celebrated in White House
Washington, December 11
Members of the American Sikh community from across the country turned up in large numbers as the White House celebrated the 544th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the first guru of Sikhs. This was the third consecutive year that the White House celebrated the occasion. Conveying his best wishes on the occasion, President Obama remembered victims of the Wisconsin gurdwara shooting in his message. Although unable to attend the event on December 7, Indian American Congressman from California Ami Bera thanked Obama for hosting the special event. — PTI

We’ll target Pak secular parties, warns Taliban

Islamabad, December 11
The Pakistani Taliban said it would carry out more attacks on "secular" political parties like the Awami National Party (ANP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), warning people to stay away from their rallies, a day after a blast outside an ANP gathering injured about 10 persons.

Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan told the media in the country's north-west that his group would target the country's "secular parties" like the ANP, which rules Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, and the MQM that is part of the ruling coalition at the centre.

"The attack on the ANP gathering was just the beginning. The attacks will intensify on the political gatherings of the secular ANP and MQM," Ihsan was quoted as saying by the media.

Ihsan warned people not to attend the rallies organised by these parties.

The ANP and MQM were on the Taliban's hit list because of their enmity to the militants, he said.

Referring to other political parties, Ihsan said: “Though they are all one as far as their secular ideology is concerned, the Taliban will announce its strategy regarding other parties later.”

About 10 persons, including policemen and ANP workers, were injured when a remote-controlled bomb went off in the parking area of a rally at Charsadda in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa yesterday.

ANP chief Asfandyar Wali Khan addressed the rally but had not reached the venue at the time of the blast.

In his speech, Khan said ANP activists would not be cowed down by attempts on their lives. — PTI

Fresh threat

• Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan said his group would target Pakistan's "secular parties" like the ANP and the MQM

• About 10 persons, including policemen and ANP workers, were injured in a bomb blast near a rally at Charsadda in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Monday
• Ihsan said Monday's attack on the ANP gathering was just the beginning and warned people not to attend the rallies organised by these parties

Terror havens flourish in Pak

Washington: Continued presence of terrorist safe havens inside Pakistan undermines security of bordering Afghanistan and poses an enduring threat to the US-led international forces in the war-torn country, the Pentagon report submitted to the US Congress has noted.

Radio network will give Aus $5 lakh to dead nurse’s family

Melbourne, December 11
An Australian radio network, whose prank call to a British hospital treating a pregnant Kate Middleton led to the death of an Indian-origin nurse, today said it would contribute at least 5,00,000 dollars to a memorial fund to help the grieving family of the woman.

Southern Cross Austereo had aired the controversial prank call conducted by 2Day FM RJs with two London nurses, including Jacintha Saldanha who was later found dead under mysterious circumstances.

The radio network said it would resume the advertising and donate its profit to help Saldanha's family. It said it would make a minimum 5,00,000 Australian dollar (US $5,23,600) donation to the fund. Following global condemnation after the death of Saldanah, Austereo had suspended all advertising on 2Day FM and was reportedly reviewing company policies and processes. The two hosts involved in the prank call have also been taken off air until further notice.

"All profits from advertising on 2DayFM until the end of the year will be donated to an appropriate fund that will directly benefit the family of Jacintha," a statement from the radio network said. — PTI

DSK settles lawsuit with hotel maid

New York, December 11
IMF former chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn and a hotel maid, who had accused him of sexual assault, have settled the lawsuit she had filed against him for an undisclosed sum.

Justice Douglas McKeon of the New York State Supreme Court in the Bronx here announced at a hearing yesterday that terms of the settlement reached between Strauss-Kahn and Nafissatou Diallo will remain confidential.

Strauss-Kahn was not present at the hearing.

Strauss-Kahn's lawyers said in a statement after the hearing that they were "pleased to have arrived at a resolution of this matter".

"We are grateful to Judge McKeon, whose patience and forbearance allowed this agreement to be formulated," Strauss-Kahn's attorneys, William Taylor and Amit Mehta, said in the statement.

Nafissatou, who was present at the hearing, thanked "everyone" outside the court. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Rescued Indian-American doctor to return to US
Washington: After being rescued in a daring military operation from Taliban captivity, an Indian-American doctor who was involved in training local medical professionals in Afghanistan, is set to return home. Dilip Joseph's employer, Colorado-based Morning Star Development, insisted that it did not pay any ransom to the Taliban for the release of the doctor, who worked with it for the last three years and has been a frequent traveller to Afghanistan. — PTI

Tanks of the Republican Guard and the military police outside the Presidential Palace in Cairo on Tuesday. — AFP

Protest against China’s rule in Tibet: Exiled Tibetans participate in ‘Flame of Truth’ global torch relay in New York on Monday to apprise the international community about the tense situation prevailing in Tibet. — PTI

Mali PM quits after arrest
BAMAKO: Mali's Prime Minister announced his resignation on Tuesday, hours after being arrested by soldiers while trying to leave the divided and unstable West African nation for France. The development in the Sahel state, whose desert north was occupied by Al- Qaida-linked Islamists following a March coup, seemed likely to complicate African and international efforts to organise a military intervention to reunite the country. — Reuters

Mandela responding to treatment
Johannesburg: South Africa's anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela is suffering from recurring lung infection, but is responding to treatment, the presidential office announced on Tuesday, as his wife Graca Machel said "it's heartsore seeing the sparkle dimming". — PTI

Indian woman gets 20-yr jail for fraud
New York: An Indian-origin woman, Meera Sachdeva (50), from Mississippi has been sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay a penalty of over $14 million on charges of healthcare fraud. Sachdeva’s prison term will be followed by three years of supervised release. She had defrauded federal insurance programme Medicare by submitting false claims for chemotherapy services. — PTI

10 hurt as gunmen fire at Cairo protesters
CAIRO: Egypt is headed for another round of slugfest between largely secular opposition groups and Islamists backing President Mohamed Mursi, as at least 10 persons were injured on Tuesday when gunmen fired at protesters at the iconic Tahrir Square here ahead of massive rival rallies. On the day which many people believe will be decisive in the current political crisis in Egypt, at least 10 protesters were injured in an armed attack at the Tahrir Square, where an open-ended sit-in has been staged since November 23. — PTI