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Gunmen attack Kabul airport, 4 militants killed
Israel, Hamas agree on 5-hour ceasefire
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Gaps remain in Iran N-talks: Obama
UK police arrest 660 paedophiles
BBC News to cut 415 jobs worldwide
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Gunmen attack Kabul airport, 4 militants killed
Kabul, July 17 The attack on the airport comes at a time of great uncertainty for Afghanistan as votes from the second round of a disputed presidential election are to be recounted. The poll is meant to mark Afghanistan's first democratic transfer of power. The attack lasted about four hours after four unidentified militants armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades opened fire on the airport from the roof of a building just to its north. "Four terrorists were killed by police special forces. The area is being cleared now, there are no casualties to our forces," said Interior Ministry spokesperson Sediq Sediqqi. The airport is home to a major operational base for NATO-led forces that have been fighting Taliban and other insurgents for 12 years and is bristling with soldiers and police, guard towers and several lines of security checkpoints. Militants fire rockets into the airport almost every week, causing little damage, but frontal attacks on the heavily guarded facility are rare and represent an ambitious target for insurgents. The attack was similar in tactics to last year's assault on the airport, when seven Taliban insurgents, including suicide bombers, attacked after taking up positions inside a partially constructed building nearby. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack. Flights diverted
A Kabul airport official told Reuters all flights had been diverted to other cities. In such circumstances, passenger planes are immediately diverted to other Afghan cities such as Mazar-i-Sharif in the north or Herat in the west. "Due to the closeness of the attack to the runway, the Kabul airport is now closed to all flights," the official said. Planes could be heard circling above Kabul as the attack unfolded. — Reuters |
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Israel, Hamas agree on 5-hour ceasefire
Gaza/Jerusalem, July 17 UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry asked Israel for a humanitarian ceasefire following an incident in which four Palestinian children were killed on a beach in Gaza. The two sides agreed to the ceasefire to allow Palestinians to stock up on food, water and other necessities. During the lull in fighting, air raid sirens went off briefly in southern Israel and the truce appeared to be generally holding. Palestinians rushed to shops and banks as the five-hour truce agreed by Israel and Hamas came into force. "Factions of the resistance have agreed to accept the offer of the UN regarding a 'field calm' for 5 hours from 10 am until 3 pm (local time) on Thursday for humanitarian needs," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zhuri said in a text message. Israel had already accepted the proposal, however, its military warned it would not sit idle if attacked. "Should the humanitarian window be exploited by Hamas or other terror organisations for the purpose of launching attacks against Israeli civilian or military targets the IDF will respond firmly and decisively," the Israel Defence Forces said in a statement. An earlier effort to permanently stop the fighting failed when Israel resumed airstrikes following a brief, one-sided ceasefire brokered by Egypt. While Israel paused for six hours, Hamas rejected the deal and continued firing rockets. Hamas leaders said they had not been consulted, and complained the deal did not address their demands for greater freedom for Gaza's 1.8 million residents. Before today's temporary truce, hostilities continued this morning with Israel's airstrikes, taking the toll to 230 killed and 1,678 wounded, Gaza medical services said. — PTI
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Russia condemns ‘primitive’ US sanctions over Ukraine
Moscow, July 17 Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday lamented the latest round of US sanctions against Russia, saying they will stalemate bilateral relations and hurt not only Russian but also American businesses. Washington and Brussels say Moscow has been fanning separatist violence in eastern Ukraine and broadened their sanctions on Wednesday, sending Russian shares and the rouble currency down. "We consider the new set of American sanctions on Russia as a primitive attempt to avenge the fact that developments in Ukraine are not following Washington's scenario," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. It said Washington was trying to put the blame on Moscow for the conflict in Ukraine and was encouraging bloodshed by not putting enough pressure on Kiev to stop a military operation intended to end the uprising in the east. "It is widely known that sanctions are a double-edged sword," the ministry said, adding that it reserved the right to introduce retaliatory measures of its own which could mean the US business community also lost out. A separate ministry statement on the new EU sanctions - not as far-reaching as the US measures - criticised the 28-nation bloc but used less tough language. "We are disappointed that the European Union, contradicting its own interests, succumbed to the blackmail of the US administration and followed the path of sanctions," it said. — Agencies Russian jets shoot down Ukrainian warplane Russian jets shot down a Ukrainian SU-25 fighter plane that was on military operations over the east of Ukraine, where government forces are fighting to quell a pro-Russian separatist rebellion, the Ukrainian military said on Thursday. It was the first time Ukraine had directly accused Russia of using air power in the war. — Reuters
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Gaps remain in Iran N-talks: Obama
Washington, July 17 "It is clear to me that we have made real progress in several areas and that we have a credible way forward," Obama said. Negotiations between the so-called P5+1 countries comprising US, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany and Iran, enter into the last phase in Vienna as the interim deal expires on July 20. "As we approach a deadline of July 20 under the interim deal, there are still some significant gaps between the international community and Iran, and we have more work to do. So over the next few days, we'll continue consulting with Congress — and our team will continue discussions with Iran and our partners - as we determine whether additional time is necessary to extend our negotiations," he said. — PTI
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UK police arrest 660 paedophiles
London, July 17 The unprecedented six-month operation, coordinated by the National Crime Agency and involving 45 police forces across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, exposed the organised paedophile network. More than 400 children across the Britain have been safeguarded, the agency said. Of the 660, 39 persons are registered sex offenders, but the majority of those arrested had not previously come to law enforcement’s attention. Some of those arrested had unsupervised access to children in the course of their work. Doctors, teachers, scout leaders, care workers and police officers are excluded from intensive check to protect children. The agency says there are 50,000 people in Britain who access child abuse videos on the internet. — IANS |
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BBC News to cut 415 jobs worldwide
London, July 17 Director of news, James Harding, said the move is part of 800-million pound efficiency savings required after the licence fee was frozen in 2010. The latest cuts are expected to save 48 million pounds per year. "It will be a testing time of uncertainty and change," Harding admitted to staff. BBC News currently employs around 8,400 persons, including around 5,000 journalists, based in London, around the UK and overseas. He also set out plans to substantially restructure the news division and put the BBC at the forefront of producing news for the digital age using new technologies. A total of 195 new posts will be created to fulfil this plan, meaning a net reduction of 220 full-time jobs overall. The latest announcement will fuel discontent among staff, who have already called a 12-hour strike for next week in a dispute over pay. — PTI |
Thai junta allows ousted PM to leave country 14 Tunisian troops killed in mountain attack Blast kills 7 in northwest Pakistan Chinese official sentenced to life for bribery
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