|
|
|
|
|
Kerry praises plans for ‘safe’ Afghan elections
Sectarian violence spreads in Myanmar; hundreds displaced
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Khoso sworn in as Pakistan caretaker PM
Injury marks found on body of Indian prisoner in Pak
Top rebel leader loses leg in Syrian blast
|
|
Kerry praises plans for ‘safe’ Afghan elections Kabul, March 25 Kerry, in Afghanistan for an unannounced visit, said he and Karzai were "on the same page" when it comes to peace talks with the Taliban. Karzai had infuriated US officials by accusing Washington of colluding with Taliban insurgents to keep Afghanistan weak even as the Obama administration presses ahead with plans to hand off security responsibility to Afghan forces and end NATO's combat mission by the end of next year. But Kerry told a joint news conference that "I am confident, he (Karzai) does not believe the US has any interest except to see the Taliban come to the table to make peace." "So we're on the same page. I don't think there is any disagreement between us and I am comfortable with his explanation," Kerry said. For his part, Karzai said "today was a very good day," citing the turnover of the detention facility at the US-run Bagram military base north of Kabul. The two spoke at a joint news conference during which Kerry also praised what he said was Afghanistan's commitment to "safe, secure" and transparent elections, scheduled for April 2014. Earlier today, the US military ceded control of the Parwan last detention facility near the US-run Bagram military base north of Kabul, a year after the two sides initially agreed on the transfer. Karzai demanded control of Parwan as a matter of national sovereignty. The top US commander in Afghanistan, Gen Joseph Dunford, handed over Parwan at a ceremony there after signing an agreement with Afghan Defence Minister Bismullah Khan Mohammadi. — AP Bilateral ties
|
||
|
Sectarian violence spreads in Myanmar; hundreds displaced
Yangon, March 25 President Thein Sein declared a state of emergency in central Myanmar on Friday and deployed army troops to the worst hit city, Meikhtila, where 32 persons were killed and 10,000 mostly Muslim residents were displaced. But even as soldiers imposed order there after several days of anarchy that saw armed Buddhists torch the city's Muslim quarters, anti-Muslim unrest has spread south toward the capital, Naypyitaw. A Muslim resident of Tatkone, about 80 km from Meikhtila, said by telephone that a group of about 20 men ransacked a one-story brick mosque there late yesterday night, pelting it with stones and smashing windows before soldiers fired shots to drive them away. He said he believed the perpetrators were not from Tatkone. A day earlier, another mob burned down a mosque and 50 homes in the nearby town of Yamethin, state television reported. Another mosque and several buildings were also destroyed the same day in Lewei, farther south. It was not immediately clear who was behind the violence, and no clashes or casualties were reported in the three towns. The upsurge in sectarian unrest is casting a shadow over the Thein Sein's administration as it struggles to bring democratic reform the Southeast Asian country after half a century of army rule officially ended two years ago this month. Two similar episodes rocked western Rakhine state last year, pitting ethnic Rakhine Buddhists against Rohingya Muslims in bloodshed that killed hundreds and drove 100,000 from their homes. — AP
|
||
|
Khoso sworn in as Pakistan caretaker PM
Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, a retired judge, was on Monday sworn in as caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan to guide the country through an historic election on May 11.
President Asif Ali Zardari administered the oath to Khoso (84) whose election was announced by the Election Commission after the government and the opposition failed to agree on a candidate. The commission decided by 4-1 majority with dissenting member Justice Riaz Kayani from Punjab voting for PML-N nominee Justice Nasir Aslam Zahid. Khoso was recommended by the PPP. The oath-taking ceremony was attended by former Premier Raja Pervez Ashraf, his former Cabinet members, PPP leaders, former Speaker of National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza and officials of the armed forces. |
||
|
Injury marks found on body of Indian prisoner in Pak
Lahore, March 25 The authorities had constituted a medical board to perform an autopsy on Singh's body about two months after his death. The autopsy was done shortly before the body was sent to India on March 13. The preliminary report states that traces of four injuries were found on the body, including a fracture of the right knee, an abrasion of 1.5 cm to 2 cm on the left knee joint, an abrasion over the upper lip and scars on the thigh, official sources said today. A chemical examination to ascertain the exact cause of death will be conducted later, the sources said. — PTI
|
||
|
Top rebel leader loses leg in Syrian blast
Ankara, March 25 Asaad, who established the FSA in 2011 to fight for the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad, was one of the first senior officers to defect from the Syrian military. The Turkish official said Asaad's wounds were not life-threatening. Syrian opposition sources said Asaad had been hit by a car bomb in the city of al-Mayadin, south of Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria. These accounts could not immediately be confirmed. "The attempt to assassinate Colonel Riad al-Asaad in Deir al-Zor is part of an attempt to assassinate the free leaders of Syria," said Moaz al-Khatib, who resigned on Sunday as the head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition. Asaad was excluded from a Western-backed command of the FSA formed last year. Since his defection, he has mostly lived with his family in a camp in Turkey along the Syrian border. Various Syrian rebel factions fight under the umbrella of the FSA, which has struggled to find regular weapons supplies and build a disciplined command and control structure. Some prominent Islamist militant groups, including the powerful Al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, are not part of the FSA. — Reuters
|
Washington Beijing Colombo
|
|||||
|
| 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 | |
