Pak Taliban want Islamic sharia law in country
Islamabad, February 8
The Taliban has said it is fighting for implementing the Islamic sharia law in Pakistan and the purpose behind talks with the government was its implementation. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid said Taliban would not be waging a war against the government if there was 'sharia' in the country.

Ukraine launches probe into Turkish plane hijack bid
Kiev, February 8
Ukraine today launched a terror probe into a bid by an apparently drunk man to force an airliner flying to Turkey to land in Sochi where leaders were gathered for the opening of the Winter Olympic Games.

London, February 8
UK's Immigration Minister, tipped as a future Prime Minister, was today forced to resign after it emerged that his cleaner was working illegally in the country.

Mark Harper tendered his resignation to Prime Minister David Cameron, who accepted it "with regret".

"Although I complied with the law at all times, I consider that as Immigration Minister, who is taking legislation through Parliament which will toughen up our immigration laws, I should hold myself to a higher standard than expected of others," he wrote in his letter.

He said he had first made checks on his female cleaner in 2007 when she was employed to help with his London flat and again in 2012.

Last month, Harper asked his cleaner for further copies but when his private office checked the details with immigration officials, it was found she did not have indefinite leave to stay in the UK.

The Conservative party MP from Forest of Dean was told this on Thursday. Harper said he immediately told UK Home Secretary Theresa May.

"I have always believed that politics is a team game, not an individual sport. Under the circumstances, I have therefore decided that the right course is for me to return to the backbenches. I am sorry for any embarrassment caused," he said.

In his response, Cameron wrote: "I am very sorry indeed to see you leave the government, but I understand your reasons for doing so.”

Last year, Harper had launched a controversial government advertising campaign that targeted racially mixed areas with mobile billboards warning illegal immigrants to "go home or face arrest".

Fellow Tory MP James Brokenshire has been appointed the new Immigration Minister. Harper plans to continue in his role as MP. — PTI

Unclean act Harper said he had first made checks on his female cleaner in 2007 when she was employed to help with his London flat and again in 2012 Last month, his private office checked the details with the immigration officials It was found she did not have indefinite leave to stay in the UK

Beirut, February 8
Syrian activists and officials said mortars were fired early on Saturday in the besieged Old Homs district in violation of a ceasefire that is intended to allow the evacuation of civilians and delivery of aid to people trapped in central neighbourhoods.

In the oil-rich east, the Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front and allied Islamist rebel groups launched a new offensive against the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). The Observatory said 20 people including two children were killed in separate barrel bomb attacks on Aleppo's eastern rebel-held neighbourhoods.

Syrian state television said four members of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were wounded by rebel fighters on Saturday as the aid workers tried to deliver humanitarian supplies to Homs city.

The opposition Shaam News Network said the mortar fire had coincided with the entry of two UN cars, accompanied by rebel forces, into the besieged districts.

It said some of the mortar bombs targeted an area on the edge of Homs near to where negotiations over the aid operation were taking place. It blamed Assad's forces for the barrage. It was unclear whether the cars were turned back and it was not immediately possible to verify the reports. Authorities restrict media operations in Syria and the country's warring parties often accuse each other of attacking civilians.

State news agency SANA quoted Homs governor Talal al-Barazi as saying "armed terrorist groups broke the truce this morning in the Old City of Homs. — Agencies

Islamabad, February 8
The Taliban has said it is fighting for implementing the Islamic sharia law in Pakistan and the purpose behind talks with the government was its implementation. Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid said Taliban would not be waging a war against the government if there was 'sharia' in the country.

“The war we are fighting is for enforcement of sharia... and talks with the government we will be holding will be for the same objective,”Shahid was quoted as saying by BBC Urdu. He made it clear that any decision in this regard would be made after meeting with TTP negotiators.

The first round of talks between a four-member government team and a three-member Taliban committee started on Thursday amid deep scepticism over whether the dialogue can yield a lasting peace deal.

It ended with both sides charting a roadmap for future negotiations with the government team proposing that peace talks be pursued within the framework of the Constitution. — PTI

Kiev, February 8
Ukraine today launched a terror probe into a bid by an apparently drunk man to force an airliner flying to Turkey to land in Sochi where leaders were gathered for the opening of the Winter Olympic Games.

"We have launched an investigation into an attempt to commit an act of terror and an attempt to hijack a plane," Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) investigative department chief Maxim Lenko told reporters. Lenko said the Ukrainian -- who one official in Kiev said was "in an advanced state of drunkenness" during the incident -- had a personal dislike for the politics of President Viktor Yanukovych and his Russian counterpart and ally Vladimir Putin.

Yanukovych's "hands are drenched in blood", the man said as he demanded the plane be flown to Sochi where the Ukrainian leader held crisis talks with Putin, according to Lenko. The Ukrainian man brandished what he said was a detonator as he tried gaining access to the cockpit of an aircraft. — AFP

Tokyo, February 8
The heaviest snow in two decades struck Tokyo and other areas across Japan today, leaving three dead and nearly 500 others injured, reports said.

More than 740 flights were grounded as the weather agency issued a severe storm warning for the capital, while more than 40,000 households lost power.

As much as 22 centimetres (8.7 inches) of snow was recorded today in Tokyo, topping 20 centimetres for the first time since 1994, the meteorological agency and news reports said.

Two female passengers, aged 88 and 90, died today in a car accident on their way to a nursing home in Ishikawa, central Japan, NHK said. Police suspect one of the cars skidded on the icy road and caused the head-on clash.

A man was also killed in Nagano as a train smashed into his car at a railroad crossing, the broadcaster said, adding that 3,200 other accidents occurred across the nation caused by vehicles skidding in the icy conditions.

Public broadcaster NHK said at least 494 people were injured in snow-related accidents across the nation.

Further snowfall is expected Saturday night and early Sunday in Tokyo, the weather agency said.

The agency issued a heavy snow warning for the capital, the first such warning for the capital in 13 years, calling on residents not to go out unless necessary. — AFP