W O R L D

13 killed as Taliban strike near Pak army HQ
Islamabad, January 20
A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up near the Pakistan Army headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi today, killing 13 people, including six soldiers, a day after a blast inside a cantonment killed 20 troops.

Pakistani security personnel examine the site of a suicide bombing in Rawalpindi on Monday. AP/PTI

Singapore brings Bill to prevent riots in Little India
Singapore, January 20
The Singapore Government today introduced a new Bill in parliament that will give police special powers to maintain public order in Little India, the scene of the worst riot in 40 years in the country that led to the deportation of 56 Indians.

US eases curbs on Iran as N-deal implemented
Washington, January 20
The United States on Monday eased some sanctions on Iran, pausing efforts to reduce Iranian crude oil exports, as part of a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers that went into effect.

Assad expects civil war to drag on, rejects power deal Damascus, January 20 Syria's President Bashar al-Assad said there is a "significant" chance he will seek a new term and ruled out sharing power with the opposition seeking his ouster, in an interview before the Geneva II peace talks. Speaking yesterday at his presidential palace in Damascus, Assad said he expected Syria's war to grind on. Syrian Prez Bashar al-Assad

Thailand mulls emergency after violence
Bangkok, January 20
Thai authorities are "very seriously" considering a state of emergency after a weekend of violence in the capital where protesters have been trying for more than two months to bring down the government, the security chief said on Monday.

13 killed as Taliban strike near Pak army HQ
Suicide bomber riding a bicycle detonates explosive after being intercepted by soldiers in a market

Islamabad, January 20
A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up near the Pakistan Army headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi today, killing 13 people, including six soldiers, a day after a blast inside a cantonment killed 20 troops.

The bomber, who was riding a cycle, detonated his explosives after being intercepted by soldiers in Royal Artillery Bazar, which is very close to the army's General Headquarters and other important military buildings.

Twenty-four others were wounded in the attack. Witnesses said two students wearing uniforms were among the dead. The market, a short walk from the army headquarters, is located in one of the most secure areas of Rawalpindi, said city police chief Akhtar Hayat Lalika.

The blast came on a day when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had convened a special cabinet meeting to approve a draft National Security Policy with measures to tackle terrorism.

Yesterday, a blast within the cantonment of Bannu city in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province killed 20 troops and injured 30, prompting Sharif to cancel his visit to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum. Soon after today's blast, army chief Gen Raheel Sharif and the premier spoke on the phone.

The injured were taken to various hospitals, including the Combined Military Hospital. According to police, the suicide bomber was aged between 18 and 20 years and his vest was packed with an estimated 10 kg of explosives. The powerful blast shattered windows of buildings in the area. Security was put on high alert as the area has key installations like the army-run National Logistics Cell and Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology, where former military ruler Pervez Musharraf was admitted with heart problems earlier this month. — PTI

Counter-terror funds used for gifts: Report

Islamabad: Former officials of interior ministry and its subordinate departments used a secret counter-terrorism fund for arranging foreign trips, paying utility bills and sending gifts to big guns and close relatives, a media report said on Monday. Hardly a single penny of the fund allocated to National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) was used for curbing terrorism as a glance through documents indicates its massive abuse, it said. Around Rs 500 million secret fund was earmarked for NCMC that has gone unaccounted as the lion's share was spent by officials on salaries of the contingent staff hired to oblige friends and family relatives, The News daily reported.

Singapore brings Bill to prevent riots in Little India

Singapore, January 20
The Singapore Government today introduced a new Bill in parliament that will give police special powers to maintain public order in Little India, the scene of the worst riot in 40 years in the country that led to the deportation of 56 Indians.

The proposed law would allow police and other state agencies to enforce the alcohol restrictions and regulate movement of persons in Little India, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said today, in his address to the Parliament.

Little India is an an enclave of migrant workers from South Asia in Singapore that was torn by the riot on December 8. The riot broke out after the death of an Indian worker in a road accident.

The Public Order (Additional Temporary Bill) seeks to give law enforcement officers the power to search and interview individuals entering the area for alcohol and prohibited items, and empower officers to ban individuals from being in the area during specified times if their presence is deemed to potentially threaten public order, the Straits Times said.

Powers will also be granted to officers to swiftly cancel or suspend the business license of licensees who have been suspected to have flouted the law, the daily said.

Teo, who is also the Home Affairs Minister, said the new provision was scoped more tightly compared to the wide-ranging powers that come into effect when the Public Order (Preservation) Act is invoked. — PTI

Special powers to police

• The proposed law will allow police to enforce the alcohol restrictions and regulate movement of persons in Little India if their presence is deemed to threaten public order
• Powers will also be granted to officers to swiftly cancel or suspend the business license of licensees who have been suspected to have flouted the law

US eases curbs on Iran as N-deal implemented

Washington, January 20
The United States on Monday eased some sanctions on Iran, pausing efforts to reduce Iranian crude oil exports, as part of a nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers that went into effect.

The Treasury Department said now that Iran has fulfilled its initial nuclear commitments under the deal, "the administration has taken the necessary steps to pause efforts to further reduce Iranian crude oil exports.”

This will allow the six current customers of Iranian oil to maintain their purchases at current reduced levels for the six-month duration of an interim nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, the Treasury Department said. The US also took steps to suspend sanctions on non-US people engaged in transactions related to Iran's petrochemical exports, as well as trade in gold and precious metals with Iran and provision of services to Iran's automotive sector. — Reuters

Higher-grade uranium enrichment halts

VIENNA: Iran has halted its most disputed higher-grade uranium enrichment activity under a ground-breaking deal with six world powers, a confidential UN atomic agency report obtained by Reuters showed.

EU too suspends some sanctions

Brussels: The European Union on Monday suspended a range of sanctions against Iran after Tehran began implementing the deal to curb its nuclear programme.

Assad expects civil war to drag on, rejects power deal

Damascus, January 20
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad said there is a "significant" chance he will seek a new term and ruled out sharing power with the opposition seeking his ouster, in an interview before the Geneva II peace talks. Speaking yesterday at his presidential palace in Damascus, Assad said he expected Syria's war to grind on.

And he called for the talks scheduled to begin on Wednesday in Montreux in Switzerland to focus on what he termed his "war against terrorism". "I see no reason why I shouldn't stand," he said of presidential elections in June. If there is "public opinion in favour of my candidacy, I will not hesitate for a second to run for election".

"In short, we can say that the chances for my candidacy are significant." Assad appeared at ease, wearing a navy blue suit and smiling regularly throughout the 45-minute interview.

He answered the first three questions on camera, and an AFP photographer was able to take pictures.

He spoke from the plush surroundings of the Palace of the People on a Damascus hillside, but said he neither lives nor works in the building, finding it too large, preferring his office or home. Assad, 48, came to power in 2000 after the death of his father Hafez, who ruled for nearly 30 years. He was elected in a referendum after his father's death and won another seven-year term in July 2007.

Assad dismissed the opposition, which says it will attend the peace talks, as having been "created" by foreign backers. "It is clear to everyone that some of the groups which might attend the conference didn't exist until very recently," he said. — AFP

Syria Oppn threatens talks boycott over Iran invite

United Nations: A furious Syrian Ppposition threatened on Friday to pull out of this week's peace conference and the United States issued a warning after the United Nations invited Iran to the talks after Tehran pledged to play a "positive role” in efforts to end Syria's worsening three-year civil war.

British fighters in Syria being taught 'jihadism'

London: Al-Qaeda is training hundreds of British people fighting in Syria to become jihadists and urging them to carry out attacks when they return home, according to an interview with a defector published in today's Daily Telegraph.

Thailand mulls emergency after violence

Bangkok, January 20
Thai authorities are "very seriously" considering a state of emergency after a weekend of violence in the capital where protesters have been trying for more than two months to bring down the government, the security chief said on Monday.

The violence is the latest episode in an eight-year conflict that pits Bangkok's middle class and royalist establishment against poorer, mainly rural supporters of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who was toppled by the military in 2006.

“We're prepared to use the emergency decree ... Everyone involved including the police, the military and the government is considering this option very seriously,” National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattantabutr said. — Reuters