W O R L D

All 20 aboard Kazakh airliner killed in crash
Almaty (Kazakhstan), Jan 29
All 20 persons on board a domestic flight in Kazakhstan operated by the SCAT airline died today when their Bombardier jet crashed on approach to Almaty airport in thick fog, the airline said.
Rescue vehicles and ambulances parked near the site of a plane crash outside Almaty on Tuesday. — Reuters

Stuck for 30 yrs in Oman, Indian dies before getting exit-pass
Dubai, January 29
A 56-year-old Indian, who had been stuck in Oman for 30 years while awaiting an exit pass from the Gulf nation, died hours before he got signed documents proving his Indian nationality.

S Korea forms military task force on North’s N-test
Seoul, January 29
South Korea’s military said today it had formed a crisis management task force to monitor North Korea’s nuclear site ahead of an expected atomic test, which Seoul said could be imminent.

Military called in as deadly floods batter Australia
Sydney, January 29
Australia ramped up its military response to deadly floodwaters rising in the country’s sodden northeast today which have killed four persons and displaced or isolated tens of thousands. Storms triggered by ex-tropical cyclone Oswald have claimed four lives — the most recent being a three-year-old boy killed by a falling tree — as heavy rains have brought flooding to the states of Queensland and New South Wales.


Garbage bins partly submerged in floodwaters on a street in New South Wales. — AFP

US Senate panel approves Kerry nomination
Washington, January 29
Senator John Kerry moved a step closer to being confirmed as the next US Secretary of State, getting a unanimous vote of approval today from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Egypt could collapse if political tussle continues: Army chief
Cairo, January 29
Egypt’s army chief today warned that the current wave of unrest that triggered political crisis in the country "could lead to a collapse of the state”, even as the death toll mounted to 52 in days of protests and violence.

Pak minister foresees Karachi massacre in Feb
Karachi faces a threat of a terrible massacre in mid-February, said Minister for Interior Rehman Malik quoting intelligence information. The minister said that sectarian terror organisations Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah Sahaba and some “foreign elements” are involved in destroying the country’s financial hub. “There are no Taliban,” he added. 

All 20 aboard Kazakh airliner killed in crash

Almaty (Kazakhstan), Jan 29
All 20 persons on board a domestic flight in Kazakhstan operated by the SCAT airline died today when their Bombardier jet crashed on approach to Almaty airport in thick fog, the airline said.

"Twenty people were on board — five crew members and 15 passengers," the airline said in a statement, quoted by the Interfax news agency.

"According to preliminary information, there are no survivors," the statement added, saying the aircraft was a CRJ-200 made by Canadian manufacturer Bombardier.

SCAT said the plane went down about 5 km short of the financial centre's main airport on a flight from the northern steppe city of Kokshetau.

Commercial KTK television said the plane crashed into a suburb of Almaty but gave no information of possible casualties or damage on the ground.

The Kazinform news agency reported that officials from both the interior and transportation ministries had travelled to the site of the crash.

The accident came just a month after a crash that killed 27, claiming the lives of much of the top echelon of the Kazakh state border service including the acting chief.

Aviation disasters remain a scourge across the former Soviet Union due to ageing hardware that often has not been replaced since the fall of the Soviet regime as well as human error. — AFP 

Stuck for 30 yrs in Oman, Indian dies before getting exit-pass

Dubai, January 29
A 56-year-old Indian, who had been stuck in Oman for 30 years while awaiting an exit pass from the Gulf nation, died hours before he got signed documents proving his Indian nationality.

Madhusudhan, who first came to Muscat in 1977 from Kerala, had been living on the roof of a building in Muscat after his bag containing his passport and other documents were stolen.

Earlier, he had tried in vain to prove his nationality to Indian embassy officials in Muscat and government officials in Kerala, media reports said.

Finally, a nativity certificate was issued to him but, unfortunately, it came just hours before his death, the reports said.

According to a Times of Oman report, even though he had a few documents to prove his Indian nationality, it was insufficient to obtain an out-pass.

Madhusudan had been working in a construction company for a few years and last visited his home in 1983.

"After 30 years of struggle, Madhu passed away, putting an end to his long wait," Muneer, a social worker in Muscat, told the newspaper.

"We came to know of Madhu from our friends last week. We found him lying in front of a building in Darsait, shivering from cold. He didn't have enough clothes to keep himself warm. He was not even able to talk. Somehow, he managed to reveal his identity. So we quickly rushed him to hospital," Muneer said.

After becoming an undocumented migrant, he had approached embassy officials several times to get an out-pass.

"He had an NCC certificate and a copy of his ration card. But these papers were not enough for the embassy officials to provide an out-pass. They insisted that he should provide his 'nativity certificate'. “Now that it's finally on its way, he didn't wait for it," the social worker said. — PTI

S Korea forms military task force on North’s N-test

Seoul, January 29
South Korea’s military said today it had formed a crisis management task force to monitor North Korea’s nuclear site ahead of an expected atomic test, which Seoul said could be imminent.

“Our assessment is that North Korea has almost completed preparations for a nuclear test,” Defence Ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok told reporters, reaffirming Seoul’s belief that the test could come any time.

The task force has been set up by the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and is cross-referencing data and intelligence being collected by state institutions and independent experts, Kim said.

The state-run Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources has set up a situation room to receive and process seismic information that might indicate when a test is conducted, he added. — AFP

Military called in as deadly floods batter Australia

Sydney, January 29
Australia ramped up its military response to deadly floodwaters rising in the country’s sodden northeast today which have killed four persons and displaced or isolated tens of thousands. Storms triggered by ex-tropical cyclone Oswald have claimed four lives — the most recent being a three-year-old boy killed by a falling tree — as heavy rains have brought flooding to the states of Queensland and New South Wales.

The sugar farming town of Bundaberg waited anxiously for the swollen Burnett River to peak at a record 9.6m, with officials saying some 2,000 homes and 300 businesses were flooded. Queensland Police Minister Jack Dempsey said about 7,500 residents had been displaced by the floodwaters. — AFP

US Senate panel approves Kerry nomination

Washington, January 29
Senator John Kerry moved a step closer to being confirmed as the next US Secretary of State, getting a unanimous vote of approval today from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The full Senate is soon expected to formally confirm his nomination thus paving the way for Kerry being sworn in as the next Secretary of State.

Kerry, 69, was nominated by US President Barack Obama, in December. He would replace Hillary Clinton. — PTI

Egypt could collapse if political tussle continues: Army chief

Cairo, January 29
Egypt’s army chief today warned that the current wave of unrest that triggered political crisis in the country "could lead to a collapse of the state”, even as the death toll mounted to 52 in days of protests and violence.

Gen Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, who is also the country's Defence Minister, made the comments two days after President Muhammed Mursi declared a month-long emergency in riot-hit Port Said, Ismailia and Suez provinces and deployed military in the region along the strategic Suez Canal.

In comments posted on his Facebook page, Gen al-Sissi said such a collapse could "threaten future generations".

Overnight, thousands of people in the worst violence-hit cities ignored the curfew and temporary state of emergency to take to the streets.

According to state TV, a total of 590 persons were injured in violence across the country yesterday alone, with most of them in Port Said.Medics said two persons were killed in clashes in Port Said late last night while another was shot dead near Tahrir Square here. — PTI 

Pak minister foresees Karachi massacre in Feb
Afzal Khan in Islamabad

Karachi faces a threat of a terrible massacre in mid-February, said Minister for Interior Rehman Malik quoting intelligence information. The minister said that sectarian terror organisations Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah Sahaba and some “foreign elements” are involved in destroying the country’s financial hub. “There are no Taliban,” he added. 

The minister said that “enemies across the border” had planned to carry out a massacre in the nation’s economic hub. He did not elaborate.

BRIEFLY

Pak court to hear plea against Kayani’s extension on Jan 31
ISLAMABAD: A petition challenging the unprecedented three-year extension given by the Pakistan Government to army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani will come up for hearing before the high court here on Thursday. A Bench of the Islamabad High Court that was to take up the petition was dissolved in November last year after the government did not issue a notification to extend the tenure of two judges. — PTI

Dutch Queen Beatrix (R) and crown prince Willem-Alexander at Royal Palace Noordeinde in The Hague, Netherlands. The Queen announced on Monday that she would step down in April after nearly 33 years on the Dutch throne, to be succeeded by the crown prince. — AP/PTI file photo

65 bodies found ‘executed’ in Syria river
Aleppo: The bodies of at least 65 young men and boys, all executed with a single gunshot to the head or neck, were found on Tuesday in the Quweiq river in the Syrian city of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. — AFP

Pak OGRA ex-chief held in Abu Dhabi
Islamabad: Former chairman of the Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Tauqir Sadiq was arrested in Abu Dhabi. The names of Pakistan premier Raja Pervez Ashraf and Home Minister Rehman Malik figured in the scam last week when the Supreme Court ordered the National Accountability Bureau to file references against them for appointing him as OGRA chief and helping him escape the country. Sadiq is accused of having caused a loss of Rs 83 billion to the national exchequer and eventually fleeing away. — TNS

Gilani’s wife, son’s assets frozen
islamabad: The anti-narcotics court in Islamabad has ordered the freezing of assets of former Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani's wife, son and former principal secretary and incumbent federal minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin for involvement in a multi-billion ephedrine quota case. — TNS