W O R L D

Pak court complex attacked, 4 dead
Islamabad, March 18
A group of heavily armed suicide attackers stormed a judicial complex in the restive Peshawar city of northwest Pakistan today, killing four persons and injuring 30 others, including a woman judge.

ON ALERT: Securitymen outside the judicial complex which was targeted by a suicide bomber in Peshawar on Monday; and (right) the destruction inside the judicial complex. — Reuters

Pak SC orders indictment of Rehman Malik
Islamabad, March 18
The supreme court of Pakistan today ordered the indictment of former Interior Minister Rehman Malik for contempt of court for interfering in a probe into alleged corruption in a state-run steel firm, after rejecting his mercy plea.

Chinese military pledges full support to Xi
Beijing, March 18
The Chinese military today pledged its full support to new President Xi Jinping's call to realise the "Chinese Dream", vowing to build strong armed forces to safeguard national sovereignty.

US promises South Korea all military resources Seoul, March 18 US Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter today promised to provide South Korea with every military resource under the US nuclear umbrella at a time of heightened tensions with North Korea. South Korea and US warships participate in a joint military drill “Foal Eagle” in South Korea's West Sea. — AP/PTI

World leaders head to Rome for Pope’s inaugural mass

Vatican City, March 18 World leaders arrived in Rome ahead of an inauguration mass for Pope Francis who receives compatriot President Cristina Kirchner of Argentina today in his first meeting with a head of state. Tourists take shelter during a rainstorm in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican on Monday. Pope Francis has attempted to dissuade Argentines from making costly trips to Rome for his inaugural Mass, suggesting they make a contribution to the poor instead. — Reuters

Bobby Jindal unhurt in road accident
Washington, March 18
Louisiana's Indian-American Governor Bobby Jindal escaped unhurt in a minor traffic accident as a truck making an illegal U-turn side-swiped his vehicle while he was returning home from his son's soccer game on Sunday.

Pak court complex attacked, 4 dead

Islamabad, March 18
A group of heavily armed suicide attackers stormed a judicial complex in the restive Peshawar city of northwest Pakistan today, killing four persons and injuring 30 others, including a woman judge. The militants lobbed grenades and fired indiscriminately after entering the judicial complex from an entrance at the rear around 12.30 pm (local time), witnesses said.

One suicide bomber blew himself up in the courtroom of lady judge Kulsoom Azam, injuring her and several others. Officials at Lady Reading Hospital said they had received four bodies and 30 injured.

After visiting the complex, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain confirmed that suicide attackers were involved in the assault.

Though initial reports had suggested up to 10 terrorists were involved in the assault, Additional Inspector General of Police Masood Khan Afridi told reporters the attack was carried out by two suicide bombers.

One suicide bomber blew himself in the courtroom of Additional District and Sessions Judge Kulsoom Azam while the other was shot dead by police, Afridi said.

The judicial complex was cleared after a search operation by security forces.

Afridi denied media reports that the attackers had taken some hostages.

"This was not a security lapse as the attackers were intercepted by three policemen, who were injured in the exchange of fire," Afridi said.

Witnesses said the militants holed up in the complex and exchanged fire with security forces for some time.

A large contingent of policemen and army soldiers surrounded the judicial complex at Khyber Road, which is a high-security area. Four policemen, several lawyers, Judge Kulsoom Azam and a lady special prosecutor were among the injured.

They were taken to the nearby Lady Reading Hospital, where officials described the condition of two persons as serious.

Footage on television showed people fleeing in panic from the complex as soldiers took up positions on a nearby road. — PTI

Pak SC orders indictment of Rehman Malik

Islamabad, March 18
The supreme court of Pakistan today ordered the indictment of former Interior Minister Rehman Malik for contempt of court for interfering in a probe into alleged corruption in a state-run steel firm, after rejecting his mercy plea.

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry said Malik's response to a contempt of court notice issued to him last year was unsatisfactory.

The bench observed he had interfered in the functioning of the court.

The bench ordered that proceedings to indict Malik for contempt would begin in seven days.

The Attorney General was appointed as the prosecutor in the case.

Last month, Malik had submitted an unconditional written apology and sought mercy from the court.

The Chief Justice observed today that the apology was tantamount to a confession and it was up to the court to accept it or not.

Malik asked the bench not to adjourn the case against him till tomorrow as he planned to travel to Uzbekistan but the request was rejected by the judges.

Malik later told reporters outside the court that he had been stopped by the apex court from travelling to Uzbekistan.

The Supreme Court had issued a contempt of court notice to Malik in May last year for constituting a new investigating team to probe alleged corruption in Pakistan Steel Mills without seeking the court's consent. — PTI

Chinese military pledges full support to Xi

Beijing, March 18
The Chinese military today pledged its full support to new President Xi Jinping's call to realise the "Chinese Dream", vowing to build strong armed forces to safeguard national sovereignty.

"In order to realise the 'Chinese dream', the entire military should fully understand the significance of national defense and army building and actively shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding national sovereignty and security," according to a circular from the General Political Department of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the world's largest standing armed force consisting 2.3-million personnel.

It urged the army to earnestly learn and implement the spirit of the first session of the 12th National People's Congress and a keynote speech delivered by Xi at the closing meeting of the country's legislature yesterday.

"The Chinese dream, after all, is the dream of the people. We must realise it by closely depending on the people.

We must incessantly bring benefits to the people," said Xi, also the General Secretary of the Communist party and Chairman of the Central Military Commission.

As for the army, the dream of a great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation means to build strong armed forces, and serve to the supreme interests of the country, the circular said.

Leading military officials at all levels are asked to make lectures to convey the spirit of the gathering and respond to soldiers' concerns.

Army personnel should hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics and ensure the army's resolute obedience to the command of the CPC Central Committee, the Central Military Commission (CMC) and CMC Chairman Xi Jinping, the circular said. — PTI

US promises South Korea all military resources

Seoul, March 18
US Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter today promised to provide South Korea with every military resource under the US nuclear umbrella at a time of heightened tensions with North Korea.

Carter was in Seoul on the second leg of a four-nation tour of US allies and partners in Asia including Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia.

"We remain steadfast to our commitment to extended deterrence offered by the US nuclear umbrella," Carter said after talks with South Korean Defence Minister Kim Kwan-Jin. "We'll ensure all of our resources will be available to our alliance," he was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.

Carter's visit came just days after the United States announced it would bolster defences against a possible North Korean missile strike in response to Pyongyang's threat of a "pre-emptive" nuclear attack.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Friday that 14 more interceptors would be stationed in Alaska, increasing by almost half the 30 already deployed along the California and Alaska coastlines.

Hagel said the defence upgrade was designed to "stay ahead of the threat" from North Korea, which is still believed to be years from having a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to the continental United States.

Military tensions on the Korean peninsula have escalated dramatically since the North conducted its third nuclear test last month.

Pyongyang responded to the subsequent UN sanctions with threats of "all-out war" backed by nuclear weapons.

Some lawmakers in Seoul have suggested it is time for South Korea to develop its own nuclear deterrent, rather than relying on the US umbrella. — AFP

World leaders head to Rome for Pope’s inaugural mass

Vatican City, March 18
World leaders arrived in Rome ahead of an inauguration mass for Pope Francis who receives compatriot President Cristina Kirchner of Argentina today in his first meeting with a head of state.

The first pontiff from Latin America had testy relations with Kirchner when he was Buenos Aires' archbishop, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, particularly over gay marriage and abortion laws.

The Pope has won hearts with his humble style but is haunted by criticism at home for failing to speak out during Argentina's brutal "Dirty War" when he was head of the country's Jesuits.

The Vatican has firmly denied claims that he failed to protect two Jesuit priests who were tortured by the 1976-1983 regime, saying that he had in fact protected lives during the dictatorship.

Francis's reign is already proving ground-breaking with an informal style that is not customary in the Vatican's austere halls of power.

He has called for a "poor Church for the poor", has warned cardinals against worldly glories and has said the Church could crumble away "like a sand castle" without spiritual renewal.

The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics will be formally enthroned tomorrow day at a mass in St Peter's Square, with city authorities preparing for an influx of up to a million people to Rome.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault are among European leaders set to attend, along with EU President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe flew into Rome on Monday, sidestepping a travel ban that applies to the EU but not to the sovereign Vatican City state.

Mugabe has been widely criticised for human rights abuses in the southern African country he has ruled uninterrupted since 1980.

US Vice-President Joe Biden, also a practising Catholic, arrived late Sunday to represent Washington at the event precipitated by the shock resignation of Francis's predecessor Benedict XVI.

The pope's meeting with Kirchner later today will be closely watched as a first diplomatic test.

Upon Bergoglio's surprise election as pontiff, Kirchner tersely wished him a "fruitful pastoral mission". — AFP

Bobby Jindal unhurt in road accident

Washington, March 18
Louisiana's Indian-American Governor Bobby Jindal escaped unhurt in a minor traffic accident as a truck making an illegal U-turn side-swiped his vehicle while he was returning home from his son's soccer game on Sunday.

"The governor did not sustain any injuries, and he is thankful for the work of the Louisiana state police that keeps him and his family safe every day," a spokesman with the governor's office said. The crash occurred on Sunday around 5 pm on Louisiana Highway 30, south of downtown Baton Rouge, the state capital.

Two police vehicles were northbound on the state highway in the inside lane when the truck made the illegal turn from the outside lane.

The truck sideswiped the first vehicle, which was carrying the governor. The second vehicle "took evasive action" and hit a utility pole, said a statement from state police. — IANS