Hundred critical after cholera outbreak in Afghanistan

A cholera outbreak at a village in northeast Afghanistan has infected 1,492 people, killed a young woman and left another 100 in critical condition, a provincial official said on Tuesday.

Abdul Marouf Rasekh, a spokesman for the governor of Badakhshan province, said the outbreak began three days ago and was restricted to one town that has been quarantined.

When it first appeared in the mountainous village of Chappa in the Darayen district, Mr. Rasekh said it infected 850 people but quickly spread until the quarantine was put in place.

Shooter Ronjan Sodhi picked for Khel Ratna

Trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi was on Tuesday recommended for the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, while cricketer Virat Kohli was among the 14 sportspersons picked for the Arjuna award by the selection committee headed by billiards legend Michael Ferreira.

Badminton player P.V. Sindhu, triple-jumper Renjith Maheshwary and golfer Gaganjeet Bhullar were also in the list of 14 sportspersons picked for the Arjuna award, sources told PTI.

Death toll rises to 84 in Pakistan floods

ISLAMABAD: Monsoon rains triggering floods have killed 84 people across Pakistan in the last week and affected more than 80,000 others, officials said Wednesday, warning of further downpours.

“At least 84 people were killed, 44 were wounded and 81,341 were affected by recent rain and flooding,” a senior official in the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) told AFP.

Drone strike kills six suspected militants in Yemen

ADEN: A US drone killed at least six suspected Al Qaeda militants in southern Yemen on Wednesday, officials said, a day after US and British embassies evacuated some staff because of growing fears of attacks.

It was the fifth strike in less than two weeks and follows warnings of potential attacks by militants that pushed Washington to shut missions across the Middle East, and the United States and Britain to evacuate staff from Yemen.


Witnesses and local officials in the province of Shabwa said the drone fired at least six missiles at two vehicles in a remote area some 70 kilometres north of the provincial capital, Ataq. Both vehicles were destroyed.

Residents who rushed to the scene found only charred bodies, they said.

Defence Minister will not apologise for statement, says government

New Delhi: The government has said that Defence Minister AK Antony's controversial statement in Parliament yesterday on the killing of five Indian soldiers in Kashmir was based on facts and that he would not issue an apology for it.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said today, "What the defence minister said was very carefully calibrated and is final, is based on Army's facts," adding, "There is no question of the defence minister apologising." (Track live updates)

Syrian army kill 62 rebels in ambush near Damascus: NGO

DAMASCUS: Syrian troops killed at least 62 rebels in an ambush Wednesday near Damascus, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Syrian military said those killed were members of the jihadist Al-Nusra Front.

Iraq violence including Baghdad bombings kills 47

BAGHDAD: A series of bombings across Baghdad were the deadliest in a spate of nationwide attacks that killed 47 people on Tuesday, as Iraq struggles with its worst violence since 2008.

At least eight car bombs and several roadside bombs struck the capital just before Iraqis broke their daytime Ramadan fast, the latest in brutal violence during the Muslim holy month that has left hundreds dead.

Gunmen kill 13 bus passengers in Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan: Dozens of gunmen disguised in police uniforms shot to death 13 people they pulled off of a convoy of buses in southwest Pakistan and dumped their bodies in a nearby ravine, officials said Tuesday.

The motive for the attack Monday night was unclear since no one has claimed responsibility. But suspicion may fall on separatists who have been waging a low-level insurgency in southwest Baluchistan province for decades.The buses were headed to central Punjab province, and the separatists have a history of attacking Punjabis who they view as outsiders encroaching on their independence. The province is also home to many Islamic militants who have carried out attacks in the past, especially on minority Shiite Muslims.

Syrian TV shows Assad after reported attack on his motorcade

Syrian rebels said on Thursday they targeted President Bashar al-Assad's motorcade as he was heading to attend prayers at a Damascus mosque to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, but footage broadcast by state television showed him unharmed.

The Tahrir al-Sham rebel brigade, a unit of the Free Syrian Army, said in a statement: "After conducting reconnaissance (on) the timing and course of Bashar al-Assad's motorcade the area was hit with artillery. We pray to God and await the field report about the results."

Pak army involved in LoC attack, Antony says

NEW DELHI: Making a fresh statement in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, defence minister A K Antony said that specialist forces from Pakistani army were involved in attack on Indian soldiers at the LoC.

Antony also said that those in Pakistan who are responsible for this tragedy should not go unpunished.

"Our restraint should not be taken for granted," Antony said in Lok Sabha.

Sikh delegation told to remove turbans at Rome airport

NEW DELHI: Delhi's gurdwara management committee president Manjeet Singh GK and other members of a Sikh delegation were not cleared to board a flight from Rome after they refused to take off their turbans at the airport security check on Tuesday.

Manjeet Singh, who is also Delhi chief of Akali Dal (Badal), told TOI that the delegation had offered to let the staff touch their turbans and run a metal detector over it, but the Italian security insisted on them taking the turbans off.

Pak concerns over Indian role in Afghanistan not groundless: US

WASHINGTON: In an acknowledgement of Pakistan’s concerns over India’s presence in Afghanistan, US Special Representative James Dobbins has said Islamabad’s fears are “not groundless”.

The US diplomat, in an interview with the BBC Urdu Service in Washington, recognised the cross-border infiltration of hostile elements into Pakistan from the Afghan side.

Punjab govt to boost industrial activities

ISLAMABAD: Industries are being set up across Punjab and foreign investors would be provided investment opportunities in a bid to boost the economy.

This was stated by Chaudhry Mohammad Shafiq, Punjab Minister for Industries, Commerce and Investment during a meeting with a delegation of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI).

Army officers in hotline contact to ease tension

ISLAMABAD: After a demonstration by a mob outside the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi on Wednesday over the killing of Indian soldiers along the Line of Control, the Foreign Office asked India to beef up security of Pakistani diplomats and high commission staff.

Indian Deputy High Commissioner Gopal Baglay was summoned to the Foreign Office and asked to convey to the Indian government that Pakistan expected it to meet its responsibility of protecting Pakistani diplomats and allied staff posted there.

India halts dialogue process with Pakistan: Indian media

NEW DELHI: Indian media claimed on Thursday that the country has halted dialogue process with Pakistan while Indian Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid told that it is before time to say anything yet, Geo News reported.

According to the India media reports, Pakistan-India talks over several issues including the controversial Sir Creek have been discontinued.

LoC attack: PM Nawaz summons emergency session

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Mian Nawaz Sharif has summoned an emergency meeting with the foreign ministry and other high-ranked security officials over the Indian attack on the Pakistani soldiers at the Line of Control (LoC) Thursday, Geo News reported.

According to the sources, the meeting will review the strained situation that has emerged between Pakistan and India along with the Indian allegations after the LoC attack.

Police officer killed, six injured in Quetta

QUETTA: Unknown gunmen opened indiscriminate fire on a police van in Killi Almo area of Quetta killing station house officer (SHO) of City police station and injuring six others on Thursday.

SHO Mohibullah, along with four of his children and two other policemen, had left his residence in a police van when it came under fire from unknown motorcycle-riding gunmen in Killi Almo area of Balochistan's capital city.

Blast in Quetta Police Lines mosque kills DIG Operations

QUETTA: DIG Operations and seven other officials were killed, while 20 others were injured in a suicide blast at Police Lines, Quetta, on Thursday, Express News reported.

The blast took place just before the funeral prayers of SHO City Mohib Ullah commenced at the Police Lines mosque.

Japan outraged over China's 'longest incursion'

Japan has protested to China over the presence of Chinese coast guard vessels in waters near disputed islands in the East China Sea, in what Tokyo says was China's longest incursion.

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday that Japan conveyed its outrage to China and strongly urged an immediate exit of all Chinese vessels in Japanese territory.

SSP, two army officers killed in Chilas firing incident

CHILAS: Three people, including a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Diamer and two army officers, were killed on Tuesday as their convoy came under attack in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Chilas area.

According to DawnNews, unknown gunmen opened fire on a government convoy in Chilas, killing SSP Diamer Muhammad Hilal and two army officers Colonel Ghulam Mustafa and Captain Ashfaq Aziz on the spot.

Al-Qaeda leader Zawahiri is said to have ordered terrorist attack

Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri ordered the head of the terrorist group’s Yemen affiliate to carry out an attack, according to intercepted communications that have led to the closure of U.S. embassies and a global travel alert, said a person briefed on the case.

In one communication, Zawahiri, who succeeded Osama bin Laden, gave “clear orders” to Nasir al-Wuhayshi, the founder of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, to undertake an attack, the source said. McClatchy newspapers first reported the exchange on Sunday.

Fourteen including three security officers, killed in Mach

BOLAN: Rebel separatists Tuesday killed 14 people, including three security officers, after stopping vehicles at a fake checkpoint in Balochistan.

The attack happened in the Mach area of Bolan district, 70 kilometres (44 miles) southeast of the provincial capital Quetta. It appears to have targeted mostly people from the central province of Punjab ahead of Eidul-Fitr.

UK evacuates Yemen embassy staff amid threat

Britain’s Foreign Office says it has evacuated all staff from its embassy in Yemen due to increased security concerns.

The moves come shortly after the U.S. State Department ordered non-essential personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Yemen to leave the country following the threat by al-Qaeda that has triggered temporary shutdowns of 19 American diplomatic posts across the Middle East and Africa.

Turkey’s ‘Ergenekon’ trial comes to an end, with 17 life sentences handed out

SILIVRI: A Turkish court on Monday sentenced a former army chief to life in prison in a high-profile trial of 275 people accused of plotting against the Islamic-rooted government, a ruling that sparked angry protests in the streets.

Police fired tear gas and water cannon at thousands of protesters outside the court near Istanbul after the verdicts were delivered in the divisive case, which resulted in lengthy prison sentences for the majority of the accused, including top brass, journalists and opposition lawmakers.

Malaysia arrests 10 over bizarre claim on throne

KUALA LUMPUR: Ten people dressed in ninja-style garb have been detained after they arrived at Malaysia's royal palace in a bizarre attempt to claim the throne, police said Tuesday.

The unarmed group, reported by local media to be suspected followers of a Malaysian Muslim figure claiming royal descent, were stopped by police guards in the confrontations early Monday morning at the palace in Kuala Lumpur.

Yemen drone strike kills four suspected Al Qaeda militants: tribal leaders

SANAA: At least four suspected Al Qaeda members were killed in a drone strike in central Yemen, local tribal leaders said on Tuesday, following a US warning of a possible major militant attack in the region.

The US State Department also ordered all non-essential staff out of Yemen and told Americans to leave the country “immediately” over terrorism concerns.

Benazir murder case: Court adjourns Musharraf’s indictment to Aug 20

RAWALPINDI: Ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf on Tuesday failed to appear in court to be indicted over the murder of former premier Benazir Bhutto due to what police said were security concerns.

Musharraf, who ruled the country from 1999-2008, had been summoned to face charges of criminal conspiracy and the murder of Benazir in December 2007.

Five soldiers killed in attack by Pakistani troops on Indian post

Pakistani troops attacked an Indian post along the Line of Control in the Poonch sector in Jammu and Kashmir late Monday night, killing five Indian soldiers.

Defence sources on Tuesday said the Pakistani soldiers intruded into the Indian territory past midnight and ambushed the Sarla post on the Indian side of the LoC.

D I Khan jailbreak: Police arrests suspected “Punjabi Taliban” commander

PESHAWAR: Police on Monday claimed to have arrested a suspected “Punjabi Taliban” commander involved in Dera Ismail Khan jailbreak last week, media reported.

According to official sources, the suspected militant, identified as Mujahid Ahmed alias Faqeer Baba has been arrested in injured condition.

US terror alert fails to deter tourists to the UAE

The US embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai are among 19 diplomatic posts that will remain closed till Saturday in response to a possible Al Qaeda attack in the region.
The list includes 15 of the 22 that were already ordered closed on Sunday due to the security fears, as well as four additional posts.

But the global travel alert issued by the US State Department on Friday, warning of the dangers of travelling to the Middle East during August, seems to have done little to dampen the tourism sector in the UAE, as it gears up for a busy Eid.

Iran's Rohani appoints a reformist as top deputy

TEHERAN : Iranian state TV says the country's new president has appointed a prominent reformist as his top deputy.

The Monday report says Mr Hasan Rohani named Mr Eshaq Jahangiri, a former industry and mines minister, as First Vice President.

Top Pak cop likens Taliban, police relationship to that of 'bowler and batsman'!

While speaking to the media on Monday, he said that the police was the batsmen as the Taliban keep bowling. Sometimes the police scores a six and many a times lose a wicket.

Inspector General Police (IGP) Ihsan Ghani of Khyber-Paktunkhwa (K-P) has compared the relationship between the Taliban and police as one between a batsman and a bowler.

Hassan Rouhani becomes new Iranian president

Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, vowed after assuming office on Saturday to work to lift the international sanctions imposed on Tehran over its controversial nuclear drive.

My government, "will take fundamental steps in elevating Iran's position based on national interest and lifting of the oppressive sanctions," the moderate cleric said in a first address, broadcast live on state television.

Rouhani was officially endorsed by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who praised the newly-elected president's decades of service to the Islamic establishment.

One dead, 6 injured in China bus fire

One person died and six others were injured when a bus caught fire in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The bus caught fire suddenly around 11:30 a.m. Monday in Urumqi, according to rescuers, who added that the injured people were taken to local hospitals, Xinhua reported.

Three killed in blast inside Karachi-bound Shalimar Express

KARACHI: Three people were reported killed in an explosion that took place inside a bogey of the Shalimar Express near Punjab province's Toba Tek Singh district on Monday.

Fifteen people were also injured in the explosion that occurred inside the Karachi-bound train which had begun its journey from Lahore.

Musharraf, Osama doc to be released soon and sent abroad, claims Pak politician

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has assured the United States that former president retired General Pervez Musharraf will soon be released and allowed to go abroad.

The claim was made by former interior minister and a leader of the All Pakistan Muslim League Mian Zahid Sarfaraz.

Addressing a news conference on Sunday, Sarfaraz said that Sharif and US Secretary of State John Kerry had discussed the release of Musharraf and Dr Shakil Afridi, who had allegedly helped the US trace Osama bin Laden's hideout in Abbottabad.

Landslides claim nine lives in Kerala, Kochi airport temporarily closed

KOCHI: Nine persons died and several others were reported missing as a string of landslides triggered by heavy downpour battered the high range Idukki and adjoining districts of Kerala on Monday.

The Cochin International Airport has been temporarily closed and two flights diverted as the runway got waterlogged. Periyar river and canals are overflowing after the downpour lashed the area since Sunday.

The deceased included two children and two women as their houses on the slopes of the hills in Idukki district were swept away by flash floods, police said.

Syria crisis can only be solved by 'striking terror with iron fist': Assad

DAMASCUS: Syria's crisis will only be solved by stamping out “terror”, President Bashar al-Assad said on Sunday, in reference to rebels fighting his regime.

In a rare speech on Syrian state television, Assad also dismissed the political opposition to his regime as a “failure” that could play no role in solving the country's brutal war.

“No solution can be reached with terror except by striking it with an iron fist,” said Assad.

Abu Salem will not be returned to Portugal, rules Supreme Court

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has ruled that the extradition of underworld don Abu Salem to India is valid. Salem is being tried for his alleged role in serial blasts in Mumbai in 1993 in which 257 people were killed and another 713 injured.

Salem, 45, was sent by Portugal to  Mumbai in November 2005 along with his then companion, actor Monica Bedi. He is imprisoned at the Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai.

Sarwar takes oath as 35th Punjab governor

LAHORE: Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar was sworn in as the 35th Governor of Punjab on Monday in a ceremony held at the Governor’s House in Lahore.

Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, administered the oath of office to Sarwar.

Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif, ministers at the federal and provincial level, government officials and a number of foreign guests attended the oath-taking ceremony.

Small bomb hits Buddhist temple in Indonesia; one injured

JAKARTA: Police and government officials on Monday condemned an attack on a Buddhist temple in Indonesia's capital after a small bomb detonated as devotees inside prayed, injuring one person. Two other devices failed to go off.

The explosion happened Sunday night at the Ekayana Grha Buddhist temple in West Jakarta.

The blast went off near the front door of the building, slightly damaging the structure, chief of National Police Detective Lt. Gen. Sutarman told reporters at the scene.

Assam braces for 60-hour bandh as demand for Bodoland gathers steam

Kokrajhar: A 60-hour long Assam Bandh began this morning as the demand for Bodoland state intensifies after the Centre's announcement on Telangana. Road and rail traffic is expected to be severely affected, particularly in lower Assam's Bodo tribe dominated districts.

The bandh is the latest in a series of agitations in the past week, including a rail roko and a massive rally yesterday, pressing for statehood.

India, China face-off yet again, Chinese troops stop Army personnel from patrolling in Ladakh

Even as China and India try to evolve an acceptable mechanism to keep the Line of Actual Control (LAC) quiet, reports of increasing face-offs between patrol parties of the two armies in Ladakh continue to create local tensions.

In the latest incident, there are reports that Chinese troops are resorting to tactics like preventing Indian Army from patrolling posts in the sector along the border which is well within India's territory.

Shah urges all ECP members to resign

ISLAMABAD: After the resignation of the chief election commissioner (CEC), the PPP wants all the four members of the commission to immediately quit their posts.

“I am thankful to Fakhru Bhai for listening to my voice and tendering his resignation while admitting his mistakes in the May 11 elections. He took the right step by resigning after the Supreme Court’s act of undoing his orders in the presidential elections,” Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah said while talking to reporters here on Sunday.

JNU student attacks classmate with axe, dies after suicide attempt

In a shocking incident, a 23-year-old student committed suicide after attacking a woman classmate with an axe at Jawaharlal Nehru University on Wednesday.

The incident took place in room no. 213 of the Korean language department around 11.30 a.m.

The attacker was identified as Akash and the woman as 22-year-old Roshani.

Taliban plans to storm Musharraf's farmhouse: Report

Islamabad: After successfully pulling off a daring attack on a high-security prison in Northwest Pakistan, banned militant outfits have planned to attack former dictator Pervez Musharraf's farmhouse here, a media report on Wednesday said. Musharraf - who is an accused in multiple criminal cases - is being held at his Chak Shahzad farmhouse, which was declared a sub-jail on April 20.

Indian shot dead in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur : An ethnic Indian man was gunned down today in Malaysia's Perak state, the latest in a spate of shootings that has shocked the southeast Asian country.

26-year-old N Jeevandran was shot twice on his abdomen, police said.

Zawahri vows Al Qaeda to free Aafia, Guantanamo inmates

DUBAI: Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri said the group would spare no effort to free Aafia Siddiqui as well as the hunger striking inmates at Guantanamo Bay, according to an audio recording posted on the Internet on Wednesday.

“The (hunger) strike by our brothers at Guantanamo unmasks the true ugly face of (the United States of) America,” Zawahri said in an audio recording posted on an Islamist website and whose authenticity could not be verified.

Attacks on Baghdad mosques kill nine

BAGHDAD: A Shia and a Sunni mosque in Baghdad were targeted in bombings that killed at least nine people, Iraqi officials said.

Police officials said a suicide bomber set off his explosives on Shia worshippers as they were leaving a mosque in the city's suburb of Hussainya late on Tuesday.

Seven people died and 11 were wounded in that attack.

Air raids kill 11 Syrian kids

BEIRUT: Seven children in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo and another four in Homs in the center were among 17 civilians killed in air raids on Tuesday, a watchdog said.

The deaths in Homs come as troops pressed an offensive against remaining rebel areas there, while in Aleppo province, the raid comes exactly a year into the rebel takeover of the targeted town of Anadan.

India creates 29th state

HYDERABAD: After decades of struggle and suicides by hundreds of youths over the years, Telangana will emerge as the 29th state of India, with the Congress Working Committee endorsing the decision to bifurcate the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday.

The demand for a separate Telangana state has been going on for the past five decades, and has seen two phases of violent agitations — in 1969 and now in the past few years. According to Telangana protagonists, at least 600 youths and students had committed suicide for the cause in the past three years alone.

ECC approves sugar export to Iran

ISLAMABAD: The government on Tuesday allowed sugar export to Iran against electricity import.It also allowed continued higher margins to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and petroleum dealers and put an immediate ban on import of gold and export of live animals.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet, presided over by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar that also decided to strictly go by the procurement rules in import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to ensure transparency instead of seeking exemptions.

Bandh in Rayalaseema, coastal Andhra against Telangana formation

Normal life was disrupted in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions on Wednesday as a shutdown began in the two regions against the decision of the Congress and the UPA to create Telangana state out of Andhra Pradesh.

Educational institutions, commercial establishments remained closed and the services of state-run Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) were suspended in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra districts such as Kadapa, Chittoor, Visakhapatnam and Krishna.

Telangana effect: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha calls indefinite shutdown in Darjeeling

Darjeeling: Hours after the UPA and the Congress Working Committee endorsed statehood for Telangana, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) announced an indefinite strike in the Darjeeling Hills from Saturday to press for its Gorkhaland demand.

GJM chief Bimal Gurung resigned as chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration - an autonomous and elected hill development council which the party has been running for a year.

JUI-F may get two ministries

ISLAMABAD: The JUI-F’s strategy to delay till last minute its decision to support PML-N’s nominee Mamnoon Hussain in the presidential election is going to pay it with two posts in the federal cabinet, Dawn has learnt.

Although the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F officially denies having any “underhand deal” with the ruling PML-N, sources in the two parties said the PML-N had agreed to offer two ministries to the religious party as a reward for its support.

Zardari, Nawaz felicitate president-elect

ISLAMABAD: Notwithstanding PPP’s boycott of the presidential election, President Asif Ali Zardari, who is co-chairman of the party, felicitated Mamnoon Hussain on Tuesday on his election as the 12th president of the country.

“In his message of felicitation President Zardari wished the president-elect well in the discharge of his responsibilities as head of the federation,” president’s spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar said.

Mobile phone services to be suspended for Yaum-e-Ali

ISLAMABAD: Mobile phone services would remain suspended in most cities of the country on Wednesday as part of security arrangements for Yaum-e-Ali being observed today, DawnNews reported.

Mobile phone services would remain blocked in Karachi from six am till 8pm whereas the services would remain suspended till 6 pm in certain areas of Lahore.