W O R L D

Iraq goes to poll amid violence
Baghdad, April 30
Iraqis defied a rash of attacks that killed 14 people today and voted in the first general election since US troops withdrew in December 2011, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki proclaiming "certain" victory. Queues formed from early morning at tightly guarded polling stations, and turnout by midday was around 40 per cent, according to a diplomatic source.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki shows his inked finger after casting his vote in the parliamentary elections in Baghdad on Wednesday; and Iraqi security forces keep a watch as voters stand in a queue outside a polling station in Sadr City district. AFP

US Defense Secy to consider pleas on allowing Sikhs in army
Washington, April 30
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will consider requests being made by over 120 lawmakers, both from the House of Representatives and the Senate, on allowing Sikhs to serve in the armed forces without any compromise of their religious identity and symbols, the Pentagon has said.

Afghan, foreign forces kill 60 militants near Pak border
Kabul, April 30
Afghan troops backed by Western air power have killed at least 60 militants near the Pakistan border, Afghan security officials said on Wednesday, in one of the single biggest assaults against the Taliban-linked Haqqani network.

Eastern Ukraine going Crimea way
Horlivka (Ukraine) April 30
Masked gunmen in military fatigues seized government offices in another Ukrainian town on Wednesday, in a further sign that pro-Western authorities in Kiev are losing control of the country's eastern industrial heartland bordering Russia.

Missing Flight MH370
Aerial search ends, sea op to continue
Perth, April 30
Australia today said the intense aerial search to locate the missing Malaysian plane has ended, as it dismissed a marine exploration company's claim that it found possible aircraft wreckage in the Bay of Bengal. After seven weeks of a fruitless aerial hunt, the multi-national air search is over. But some ships will stay on the Indian Ocean to gather any debris that might surface.

Fresh elections in Thailand on July 20
Bangkok, April 30
Crisis-hit Thailand will hold fresh general elections on July 20, authorities said today, nearly three months after a controversial snap poll was declared invalid deepening the political divide in the country. The Yingluck Shinawatra-led government and the Election Commission agreed at a meeting this afternoon to set July 20 as the date of the fresh elections after the February 2 snap polls were declared null and void. "We agreed that the most suitable election day is July 20 and the Election Commission will draft the royal decree for the Prime Minister to submit to the king for royal endorsement," Election Commission (EC) secretary general Puchong Nutrawong said. — PTI

Iraq goes to poll amid violence
PM Nuri al-Maliki seeks third term in first national election since US troops withdrew in 2011

Baghdad, April 30
Iraqis defied a rash of attacks that killed 14 people today and voted in the first general election since US troops withdrew in December 2011, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki proclaiming "certain" victory. Queues formed from early morning at tightly guarded polling stations, and turnout by midday was around 40 per cent, according to a diplomatic source.

In Washington, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Iraqis had "courageously voted," sending "a powerful rebuke to the violent extremists who have tried to thwart the democratic process and sow discord in Iraq and throughout the region." Iraqis complain of myriad grievances, from poor public services to rampant corruption and high unemployment, but the month-long campaign has hinged on Maliki's bid for a third term and dramatically deteriorating security.

Maliki encouraged a large turnout and voiced confidence he would stay in power after voting at a VIP polling centre in the Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. "Today is a big success, and even better than the last elections, even though there is no foreign soldier on Iraqi soil," he said.

Fresh attacks were launched soon after polls opened, killing 14 people and wounding dozens.

Security officials reported more than 50 incidents in all, with mortar fire, roadside bombs and suicide attacks mostly targeting polling stations or people on their way to vote in the north and west.

Among those killed were two election commission employes who died in bombings as they were being escorted by a military convoy in northern Iraq. — AFP

US Defense Secy to consider pleas on allowing Sikhs in army

Washington, April 30
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will consider requests being made by over 120 lawmakers, both from the House of Representatives and the Senate, on allowing Sikhs to serve in the armed forces without any compromise of their religious identity and symbols, the Pentagon has said.

“We understand the concerns, and the Secretary (of Defense) will consider those and respond in kind,” Pentagon Press Secretary, Rear Admiral, John Kirby, told reporters, adding , that Hagel did not give a time frame to it.

In March, 105 Congressmen from the US House of Representatives, led by Congressman Joe Crowley, who is co-chair of the Congressional India Caucus, wrote to Hagel urging him to make the necessary changes in the recruitment policy of the Department of Defense so that Sikhs, which are known globally for their valor and bravery, can serve in the US armed forces with their religious faith intact.

On April 24, 15 influential Senators, including Robert Menendez, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote to Hagel and similar lines.

The next day, Hagel was sent another identical letter by top Indian-American fund-raisers urging him to allow Sikhs to serve in the US military. "The Secretary is aware of the concerns expressed, and he'll respond appropriately in kind to members of Congress," Kirby told Pentagon reporters at the news conference.

Referring to the changes made by the Pentagon this January to accommodate religious sentiments of various religious minorities, Kirby said the Department of Defense is trying to be as broad-based and as fair and as equitable as possible.

"And it's a balance we have to strike between operational readiness of units and being able to accommodate one's religious beliefs," he said. "We think we did that pretty well with that policy. And it doesn't preclude Sikhs from serving in the military at all, but it does, under the current policy, just like any other religious accommodation request, has to be presented up to one's commanding officer. — PTI

Lawmakers' demand

• Over 120 lawmakers, both from the House of Representatives and the Senate, have written to US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on allowing Sikhs to serve in the armed forces without any compromise of their religious identity and symbols
• Pentagon press secretary said the Secretary 'is aware of the concerns expressed, and he'll respond appropriately in kind to members of Congress'

Afghan, foreign forces kill 60 militants near Pak border

Kabul, April 30
Afghan troops backed by Western air power have killed at least 60 militants near the Pakistan border, Afghan security officials said on Wednesday, in one of the single biggest assaults against the Taliban-linked Haqqani network.

US officials say Washington has intensified its drive against the network in an attempt to deal a lasting blow to the militants before foreign combat forces depart at the end of the year. The National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan's main intelligence agency, said in a statement that about 300 Haqqani insurgents and foreign fighters came under intensive fire on Monday when they tried to storm Afghan bases in Ziruk district of Paktika province. Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said Afghan forces were already in position after receiving information about imminent attacks by the insurgents. "Hundreds of insurgents tried to take over the district centre but we were there and hit them with a huge blow," Sediqqi told Reuters, adding that five Afghan policemen were wounded. "Dead bodies, wounded fighters, their weapons and pick-up trucks were left on the battlefield," Sediqqi added. The NATO-led international force declined to comment.

The Haqqani network, which professes obedience to Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, is believed to have been involved in some of the most deadly attacks of the Afghan war. The group has been blamed for attacks on hotels popular with foreigners in Kabul, the bombing of the Indian embassy in the capital, a 2011 attack on the US Embassy and several big attempted truck bombings. — Reuters

US crackdown on Haqqani network

Washington has intensified its drive against the Haqqani network in an attempt to deal a lasting blow to the militants before foreign combat forces depart at the end of the year from Afghanistan. US officials

Eastern Ukraine going Crimea way

Pro-Russian militants attack the regional police building in Lugansk, where separatists have called a referendum on secession for May 11. AFP

Horlivka (Ukraine) April 30
Masked gunmen in military fatigues seized government offices in another Ukrainian town on Wednesday, in a further sign that pro-Western authorities in Kiev are losing control of the country's eastern industrial heartland bordering Russia.

The gunmen, who turned up at dawn, took control of the offices in Horlivka, a town of almost 300,000 people, said a Reuters photographer. The heavily armed men wore the same military uniforms without insignia as other unidentified "green men" who have joined pro-Russian protesters with clubs and chains in seizing control of towns across Ukraine's Donbass coal and steel belt.

Attempts to contain the insurgency by the government in Kiev have proved largely unsuccessful, with security forces repeatedly outmanoeuvred by the separatists. The West and the new Ukrainian government accuse Russia of being behind the unrest, a charge Moscow denies.

Daniel Baer, the US ambassador to the OSCE, a European security watchdog, told reporters in Vienna: "I think it's very clear that what is happening would not be happening without Russian involvement."

A police official in Donetsk, the provincial capital where separatists have declared a "People's Republic of Donetsk", said separatists were also in control of the Horlivka police station, having seized the regional police headquarters earlier in April.

Wednesday's takeover followed the fall of government buildings on Tuesday further east in Luhansk, capital of Ukraine's easternmost province, driving home just how far control over the densely populated region has slipped from the government in Kiev. — Reuters

Putin warns West, Kerry hits back

Lugansk: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday threatened that US sanctions against Moscow would harm Western energy interests in Russia, which the West blames for stoking the worst confrontation since the end of the Cold War. US Secretary of State John Kerry hit back, urging Moscow to “leave Ukraine in peace” and vowing to "defend every single inch" of NATO territory

Missing Flight MH370
Aerial search ends, sea op to continue

Perth, April 30
Australia today said the intense aerial search to locate the missing Malaysian plane has ended, as it dismissed a marine exploration company's claim that it found possible aircraft wreckage in the Bay of Bengal. After seven weeks of a fruitless aerial hunt, the multi-national air search is over. But some ships will stay on the Indian Ocean to gather any debris that might surface.

Over the coming days, the vessels that remain on standby for the search will transition to and from the search area. An Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion also remains on standby.

Other vessels and aircraft that have been engaged in the surface and aerial search will now transition to their respective national tasking in the coming days.

Meanwhile, the Joint Agency Coordination Centre heading up the search for the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has dismissed marine exploration company GeoResonance's claim that it found possible jet wreckage in the northern Bay of Bengal, which is located 5000 kms from the current search area. The Bay of Bengal is located between India and Myanmar.

"The Australian-led search is relying on information from satellite and other data to determine the missing aircraft's location," the Perth-based JACC said, adding that the location specified by the GeoResonance report "is not within the search arc derived from this data". — PTI

BRIEFLY

Calls for cut in aid to Pak as Sharif visits London
London: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's visit to Britain was on Wednesday overshadowed by the release of a report by UK lawmakers which called for a cut in aid to the country unless there is proof that the funds help in stopping Islamic extremism. PTI

3 killed, 79 hurt in blast at railway station in China
Beijing: Three people were killed and 79 wounded in a bomb attack at a train station in China's restive far western region of Xinjiang, state news agency Xinhua said on Thursday. Xinhua said four of the people had been seriously injured in the blast which hit outside an exit at the station in Urumqi on Wednesday. PTI

3 Indians jailed for fake designer clothes in UK
London: Two Indian-origin brothers, Kuldip Singh and Sarbjit Singh, and their father, Shinderpal Singh, have been jailed for manufacturing fake designer garments under brand names like Adidas and Nike in Leicester. Kuldip was sentenced to 23 months while Sarbjit and Shinderpal were each jailed for 11 months. PTI

Sikh, Muslim groups file complaints against parks
Washington: Two Sikh and Muslim groups have filed complaints against a California amusement parks chain that denied access to people from their communities for wearing religious headgears. United Sikhs and the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations alleged that their people were denied access to the Go-Kart rides at an amusement park after staff cited unfounded safety concerns. PTI

Indian pleads guilty to Singapore rioting
Singapore: Ramalingam Sakthivel, a construction worker, pleaded guilty to throwing various projectiles at police officers and vehicles, and into a bus involved in a fatal accident that sparked the violence on December 8 last year. He will be sentenced on May 8. PTI

Republicans stop Obama’s bid to hike minimum wage
WASHINGTON: US Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a top White House legislative priority, a bill to increase the federal minimum wage for the first time in five years. On a largely party-line vote of 54-42, backers fell short of the 60 needed to advance the legislation, which would boost the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour from current $7.25. Reuters

US names India, China in its patent blacklist
WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday named China and India among countries on its blacklist of countries failing to properly protect US copyrights and patents but kept their status unchanged from the previous review. Reuters

Storms, floods batter US Southeast
Washington: A tornado-producing storm system that has killed at least 34 people this week continued to batter a swath of the southern US on Wednesday with heavy rainfall, flooding and the potential for more twisters. Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for 26 counties as severe thunderstorms raged across the northern part of the state. Reuters

Storm-struck: People sit outside their destroyed house at Arkansas in the US on Wednesday. At least 34 people across six states have been killed in tornadoes so far. REUTERS