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US vows full probe into Pakistan border incident
US stresses 'importance' of Pak ties after strike
Karachi: Two bodies recovered from Gulshan Iqbal
Rajanpur: 12 killed in bus, truck collision
PML-Q candidate Ch Ehsan wins Bahawalpur by-polls
Egyptian protesters clash with police, 1 dead
24 killed in Syria clashes: activists
Arab League draws up sanctions against Syria
Blasts kill 15 in Iraq as US troops pull out
Yemen sets date for presidential vote
Iran threatens to hit Turkey if US, Israel attack
Strong winds, rain kill at least 18 in Sri Lanka
Marines to wind down Afghan combat in 2012
Berlin to keep troops in Afghanistan after NATO withdrawal
Federer beats Ferrer in semis at ATP Finals

US vows full probe into Pakistan border incident

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The Obama administration is pledging to conduct a full investigation into a NATO attack that allegedly killed 24 Pakistani troops. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in a joint statement on Saturday said they had each spoken to their Pakistani counterparts to express their condolences for the loss of life. The incident was a major blow to American efforts to rebuild an already tattered alliance vital to winding down the 10-year-old Afghan war. Islamabad called the bloodshed in one of its tribal areas a "grave infringement" of the country s sovereignty. A NATO spokesman said it was likely that coalition airstrikes caused Pakistani casualties, but an investigation was being conducted to determine the details.

US stresses 'importance' of Pak ties after strike

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The United States on Saturday stressed the "importance" of its ties with Pakistan after up to 24 soldiers were killed in cross-border NATO air strikes, plunging already frosty relations into crisis. In a joint statement, US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered their "deepest condolences" and said they backed "NATO s intention to investigate immediately."

Karachi: Two bodies recovered from Gulshan Iqbal

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According to Gulshan Iqbal police, both the victims were shot dead after being kidnapped from different parts of Karachi. The identity of the victims is not yet known. Police have found two empty cartridges of 9MM pistol lying near the victims. Police have shifted the bodies to Jinnah Hospital.

Rajanpur: 12 killed in bus, truck collision

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According to details, the bus was going to Karachi from Rahimyar Khan and it collided with a truck near Shah Wali Check Post due to low visibility caused by fog, killing 12 passengers and injuring 45 others. Rescue teams reached the spot soon after the accident and shifted the injured to hospital for treatment. According to MS Sheikh Khalifah Hospital Rojhan, Dr Abdur Rehman Qureshi, condition of three injured is stated to be critical. Meanwhile, 12 injured are shifted to Kashmore while eight are moved to Rahimyar Khan and the rest of the injured are under treatment at the Rojhan Hospital.

PML-Q candidate Ch Ehsan wins Bahawalpur by-polls

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Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) candidate Chaudhry Ehsan Ullah won the PP-275 Bahawalpur by-polls. According to unofficial result, Chaudhry Ehsan secured 34,792 votes while his opponent Khalid Mahmood Jaja of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) got 30,498 votes. The Punjab Assembly seat was lying vacant as a result of death of Mumtaz Jaja, father of Khalid jaja, who died due to dengue virus. Workers of PML-N and PML-Q attacked each other with chairs and batons in several polling stations during the election, resulting in injuries to seven people.

Egyptian protesters clash with police, 1 dead

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Egyptian security forces clashed with protesters camped outside the Cabinet building Saturday, leaving one man dead, as tensions rose two days ahead of parliamentary elections being held despite mass demonstrations against military rule. The violence occurred as a wave of protests against military rule was given extra impetus by the Egyptian military s decision on Friday to appoint a Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri who served under deposed President Hosni Mubarak. The Obama administration has increased pressure on Egypt s military rulers, who took over from Mubarak, to transfer power to civilian leaders throwing its support behind protesters massed on Cairo s central Tahrir Square for more than a week. More than 100,000 demonstrators packed into the square on Friday in the biggest rally since the current unrest began. They rejected el-Ganzouri s appointment and presented an alternative to el-Ganzouri. By midday Saturday, the crowd size dwindled to some 5,000. Twenty-four protest groups, including two political parties, have announced they are creating their own "national salvation" government to be headed by Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei with deputies from across the political spectrum to which they demanded the military hand over power. Egyptian state TV said that the head of the ruling military council Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi met separately with ElBaradei and another presidential hopeful Amr Moussa, who was the former Arab League chief, on Saturday, but it gave no details. Hundreds also set up camp outside the Cabinet building, spending the night in blankets and tents to prevent the 78-year-old politician from entering to take up his new post. Early Saturday, they clashed with security forces who allegedly tried to disperse them.

24 killed in Syria clashes: activists

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Deserters killed eight soldiers and members of the security forces and wounded 40 more in an attack in Idlib in northwest Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "A group of deserters attacked a squad of soldiers and security agents in a convoy of seven vehicles, including three all-terrain vehicles, on the road from Ghadka to Maaret Numan," the Britain-based watchdog said. "Eight were killed and at least 40 more were wounded. The deserters were able to withdraw without suffering any casualties," it added. The rebel Free Syrian Army said in a statement it was behind the attack. Elsewhere, 16 civilians, including two children aged nine and 10, were shot dead by security forces -- 15 in Homs and Qussayr in central Syria and another in Deir Ezzor in the east, the Observatory said. It added that the bodies of three men arrested several days ago in Homs and Idlib were returned to their families. The Observatory said at least 10 members of the security forces were killed in clashes with mutinous soldiers in Deir Ezzor on Friday. The same day, the Syrian military confirmed that six elite pilots and four others were killed in an attack on Thursday, and accused foreign powers of supporting acts of terror inside the country. "An armed terrorist gang murdered six pilots, an officer and three junior officers working for the military air base" on Thursday, the army said in a statement quoted by the state news agency SANA. The ambush "took place on the Palmyra-Homs road," it said. Thursday s attack was also claimed by the Free Syrian Army which said seven military pilots were killed in an ambush on a bus. The rebel army has stepped up attacks on regime targets in recent weeks in a bid to topple the government of President Bashar al-Assad who has waged a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters since mid-March.

Arab League draws up sanctions against Syria

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Arab finance ministers gathered in Cairo on Saturday drew up a list of economic sanctions against Syria that they will present to foreign ministers for adoption, a communique said. The recommendation -- which includes a ban on Syrian officials visiting any Arab country and the freezing of government assets -- comes after President Bashar al-Assad s regime defied an ultimatum to allow in observers amid a lethal crackdown on protest. Arab top diplomats will meet in Cairo on Sunday to vote on the sanctions. The list of punitive measures also included the suspension of flights and a halt to any transactions with the Syrian government and its central bank. Arab states are also called to freeze any investments for projects in Syria. The Arab League had set a Friday deadline for Damascus to agree to the details of the observers  mission, part of a reform deal Syria had previously said it accepted. If adopted, the sanctions are likely to have a crippling effect on Syria which relies on its Arab neighbours for half of its exports and a quarter of its imports. The United Nations estimates that the Syrian government s crackdown has cost more than 3,500 lives since March.

Blasts kill 15 in Iraq as US troops pull out

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A string of explosions hit a Baghdad market and the capital s western outskirts on Saturday, killing at least 15 people and exposing the challenges still facing Iraqi security forces just over a month before all American troops leave the country. The bombings mark the second major attack against Iraqi civilians this week and come as American forces are packing up to leave and handing over their remaining security responsibilities to Iraqi forces. Many Iraqis are concerned that insurgents may use the transition period to launch more attacks in a bid to regain their former prominence and destabilize the country. Iraqi security officials maintain that they are fully prepared for the American withdrawal, which is required under a 2008 security pact between the US and Iraq. About 15,000 US troops remain in the country, down from a one-time high of about 170,000. Earlier this week, the top US general in Iraq, Lloyd Austin, said that there would likely be some "turbulence" after American troops leave. But he did not think there would be a wholesale descent into violence. The first blasts Saturday struck an area where people looking for work were gathered in the mostly Sunni village of al-Zaidan, west of Baghdad. Seven people were killed and 11 others were wounded, police officials said. Hours later, three bombs exploded near kiosks in a market in downtown Baghdad where vendors were selling CDs and military uniforms, killing eight people and wounding 19 others. Iraqi military commanders later ordered all the vendors selling products in the area to close up their kiosks and move, in an attempt to clear out the area and make it harder for insurgents to hide bombs.

Yemen sets date for presidential vote

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Yemen scheduled early presidential elections for early next year on Saturday in line with a power-sharing deal aimed at ending a nine-month political crisis, according to the country s official news agency. The agreement would make President Ali Abdullah Saleh the fourth dictator pushed from power this year by the Arab Spring uprisings, although it has been rejected by many protesters because it would grant the reviled leader immunity from prosecution and does not include far-reaching political changes like those brought about by the uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. The US-backed Gulf Arab proposal signed Wednesday in the Saudi capital Riyadh calls for Saleh to pass power to his deputy within 30 days, after a new government sworn in by the vice president passes a law protecting Saleh and his associates from prosecution. Presidential elections also were to be held within 90 days, well ahead of the original date in 2013. It came after months of resistance by the leader of 33 years despite massive protests calling for him to step down. Saleh had agreed to sign the deal at least three previous times only to back out at the last minute. Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi said Saturday that the vote will be held on Feb. 21 and no party has the right to annul or change the decree, SABA reported. He made the announcement after Saleh gave him "the constitutional authorities to carry out dialogue with the parties that signed the Gulf initiative."

Iran threatens to hit Turkey if US, Israel attack

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Iran will target NATO s missile defense installations in Turkey if the US or Israel attacks the Islamic Republic, a senior commander of Iran s powerful Revolutionary Guard said Saturday. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Guards  aerospace division, said the warning is part of a new defense strategy to counter what he described as an increase in threats from the US and Israel. Tensions have been rising between Iran and the West since the release of a report earlier this month by the International Atomic Energy Agency that said for the first time that Tehran was suspected of conducting secret experiments whose sole purpose was the development of nuclear arms. The US and its Western allies suspect Iran of trying to produce atomic weapons, and Israel, which views Tehran as an existential threat, has warned of a possible strike on Iran s nuclear program. Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes. "Should we be threatened, we will target NATO s missile defense shield in Turkey and then hit the next targets," the semiofficial Mehr news agency quoted Hajizadeh as saying. Tehran says NATO s early warning radar station in Turkey is meant to protect Israel against Iranian missile attacks if a war breaks out with the Jewish state. Ankara agreed to host the radar in September as part of NATO s missile defense system aimed at countering ballistic missile threats from neighboring Iran.

Strong winds, rain kill at least 18 in Sri Lanka

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An official says strong winds and heavy rain in southern Sri Lanka have killed at least 18 people and left 30 fishermen missing. Pradeep Kodippili of the Disaster Management Center said Saturday that most of the victims are from Matara district. He said 40 were injured and 204 have lost their homes.

Marines to wind down Afghan combat in 2012

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US Marines will march out of Afghanistan by the thousands next year, winding down combat in the Taliban heartland and testing the US view that Afghan forces are capable of leading the fight against a battered but not yet beaten insurgency in the country s southwestern reaches, American military officers say. At the same time, US reinforcements will go to eastern Afghanistan in a bid to reverse recent gains by insurgents targeting Kabul, the capital. Gen. James F. Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, said in an Associated Press interview that the number of Marines in Helmand province will drop "markedly" in 2012, and the role of those who stay will shift from countering the insurgency to training and advising Afghan security forces. The change suggests an early exit from Afghanistan for the Marine Corps even as the prospects for solidifying their recent successes are uncertain. "Am I OK with that? The answer is  yes, " Amos said. "We can t stay in Afghanistan forever." "Will it work? I don t know. But I know we ll do our part." At stake is President Barack Obama s pledge to win in Afghanistan. He said during his 2008 campaign that the war was worth fighting and that he would get US forces out of Iraq. Facing a stalemate in Afghanistan in 2009, Obama ordered an extra 30,000 US troops to the country, including about 10,000 Marines to Helmand province, in the belief that if the Taliban were to retake the government, al-Qaida soon would return to the land from which it plotted the Sept. 11 attacks. Also at stake are the sacrifices of the nearly 300 Marines killed in Afghanistan over the past three years. Weighing against prolonging the conflict is its unsustainable cost and what author and former Defense Department official Bing West has called its "grinding inconclusiveness." In a series of pep talks to Marines in Helmand this past week, Amos said the Marine mission in Afghanistan would end in the next 12 months to 18 months. That is as much as two years before the December 2014 deadline, announced a year ago, for all US and other foreign troops to leave the country.

Berlin to keep troops in Afghanistan after NATO withdrawal

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German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere told the Bild am Sonntag paper in an interview that troops remaining would concentrate on the training of Afghan forces, the minister said. They "would be sufficiently armed so as to be able to defend themselves" but "it won t be about having troops for combat," said De Maiziere. Berlin currently has 5,350 soldiers in Afghanistan, a number which will reduce to 4,900 as Germany starts withdrawing its forces ahead of NATO s 2014 deadline for the transferral of security control to Afghan forces. After the US and Britain, German soldiers are the third largest NATO troop contingent in Afghanistan. The decade-long war was the first major deployment of German troops abroad since the Second World War and has not been welcomed by a majority of public opinion.

Federer beats Ferrer in semis at ATP Finals

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Roger Federer reached his 100th career final Saturday by beating David Ferrer of Spain 7-5, 6-3 in the semifinals of the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals. In a tournament where his biggest rivals complained of fatigue after failing to make it out of the group stage, the 30-year-old Federer showed no signs of slowing down as he extended his unbeaten streak to 16 matches after winning titles in Basel and Paris before coming to London. The former top-ranked Swiss star became just the fifth player to reach 100 finals in the open era, and will be looking for his 70th title overall on Sunday. The victory over Ferrer also means Federer will overtake Andy Murray for the No. 3 spot in the year-end rankings, behind No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. He will face the winner of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Tomas Berdych, who played in the second semifinal later. Djokovic and Nadal were both eliminated after losing two of their round-robin matches this week, and said their minds and bodies just weren t up for top-level tennis following another grueling season. Murray pulled out injured following his opening loss to Ferrer on Monday. But Federer has played some of his best tennis of the year in London, and while he did not look as sharp against Ferrer as he did in his three group-stage victories, he never faced a break point.

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Cricket - Sports

Sunday, November 27, 2011

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