Nairobi, November 22
Somalia's Al-Shabaab insurgents said they staged a bus attack in northeast Kenya on Saturday that killed 28 people, all non-Muslims led out to be shot while passengers identified as Muslims were spared.

Three in the group trooped out to be killed saved their lives by reciting Koran verses for the Islamist militants, a local security official said.

Al-Shabaab said its men had ambushed the Nairobi-bound bus outside Mandera town, near Kenya's border with Somalia and Ethiopia, and killed the non-Muslims in retaliation for raids on mosques in the port city of Mombasa.

Early this week, police in Mombasa shot dead a man and arrested over 376 others when they searched four mosques in the port city that they said were used to recruit militants and stash weapons.

"The Mujahideen successfully carried out an operation near Mandera early this morning, which resulted in the perishing of 28 crusaders, as a revenge for the crimes committed by the Kenyan crusaders against our Muslim brethren in Mombasa," Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, Al-Shabaab's spokesman, said in a statement.

Islamist militants use the term "crusaders" to describe Christians or non-Muslims in general. Police Inspector General David Kimaiyo told reporters that 19 men and nine women were killed. "Preliminary reports indicate that the attackers, who were heavily armed, later fled towards the border into Somali," he said.

A witness to the ambush, who asked not to be identified, said the attackers entered the bus and greeted passengers before trying to identify Muslims and non-Muslims. Ahmed Maalim, an official at the Mandera East security force, said the attackers ordered passengers thought to be non-Muslims out of the bus. Three were spared after reciting Koran verses. "The women and men (remaining outside) were separated, then shot at close range. None survived," he said Maalim. — Reuters

The Pakistan air force (PAF) has expressed interest in procuring fourth generation stealth fighter aircraft FC-31 from China. Minister for Defence Production Rana Tanveer Hussain told Dawn the matter was being discussed with Chinese authorities.

It is for the first time that a senior government functionary has confirmed talks with China over purchase of the longer-range stealth aircraft - an issue that has been a subject of speculation in defence circles since the 10th edition of the Zhuhai Air Show (China) held earlier this month, when the aircraft was unveiled.

The Jane's Defence Weekly had quoted an unnamed Pakistani official as saying that the PAF was holding talks with China for the purchase of 30 to 40 of the Shenyang FC-31 fighter planes and that discussions had gone beyond initial inquiries.

The FC-31 is being developed by China primarily for the export market. Chinese officials claim that several countries have expressed interest in the aircraft believed to be comparable to US F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Washington, November 22
Satellite images show China is building an island on a reef in the disputed Spratly Islands large enough to accommodate what could be its first offshore airstrip in the South China Sea, a leading defense publication said on Friday.

The construction has stoked concern that China may be converting disputed territory in the mineral-rich archipelago into military installations, adding to tensions waters also claimed by Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei.

IHS Jane's said images it had obtained showed the Chinese-built island on the Fiery Cross Reef to be at least 3,000 meters (1.9 miles) long and 200-300 meters (660-980 ft) wide, which it noted is "large enough to construct a runway and apron."

The building work flies in the face of US calls for a freeze in provocative activity in the South China Sea, one of Asia's biggest security issues. Concern is growing about an escalation in disputes even as claimants work to establish a code of conduct to resolve them.

Dredgers were also creating a harbor to the east of the reef "that would appear to be large enough to receive tankers and major surface combatants," it said.

Asked about the report at a forum in Beijing, Jin Zhirui, a colonel with the Chinese air force command, declined to confirm it but said China needed to build facilities in the South China Sea for strategic reasons. — Reuters

US President Barack Obama delivers a speech on the immigration policy in Las Vegas. Reuters

Washington, November 22
President Barack Obama has quietly approved guidelines in recent weeks to allow the Pentagon to target Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, broadening previous plans that had limited the military to counter-terrorism missions against Al-Qaida after this year, US officials said.

The President's decisions also allow the military to conduct air support for Afghan operations when needed. Obama issued the guidelines in recent weeks, the officials said late yesterday, as the American combat mission in Afghanistan draws to a close, thousands of troops return home, and the military prepares for narrower counter-terrorism and training mission for the next two years. Obama's moves expand on what had been previously planned for next year.

One US official said the military could only go after the Taliban if it posed a threat to American forces or provided direct support to Al-Qaida, while the latter could be targeted more indiscriminately.

"To the extent that Taliban members directly threaten the United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan or provide direct support to Al-Qaida, however, we will take appropriate measures to keep Americans safe," the official said. — Agencies

London, November 22
British journalist John Cantlie, being held hostage in Syria by the Islamic State (IS) terror group, has appeared in a new video in which he claims the US failed to rescue him and fellow hostages in July.

The nine-minute film, the seventh in a series titled 'Lend Me Your Ears', shows the freelance photojournalist behind a desk and apparently reading from a script, following the pattern of most of the previous videos featuring him.

BRIEFLY

Muslim beauty pageant: Tunisia’s Fatma Ben Guefrache, winner of the 2014 World Muslimah Awards, reacts during the grand final in Yogyakarta on Saturday. AFP

London
14 hurt in hotel gas blast: Fourteen people were injured in a gas explosion at a 5-star hotel in London, prompting authorities to evacuate 500 guests from the posh hotel and launch an investigation. Churchill Hyatt Regency London in Portman Square was evacuated after the blast Friday night. PTI

tokyo
6.8 quake jolts Japan: An earthquake with magnitude of 6.8 jolted central Japan on Saturday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, adding that no tsunami warning had been issued. High-speed trains were halted and there were reports of damage to homes and some injuries. Reuters

Beijing
Fog closes highways, airports: A heavy fog on Saturday in east China's Shandong province closed highways, delayed flights and threw life out of gear. The meteorological department issued a yellow alert for heavy fog in Shandong province. PTI

new york
Indian origin’s internet TV: Aereo Inc, the online video streaming firm, has filed for bankruptcy protection. Chief executive officer Chet Kanojia said the US Supreme Court decision on copyrights created “regulatory and legal uncertainty” that proved insurmountable. PTI