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Monday, April 13, 2009

Deaths amid Bangkok street battles

Two men have been killed in Bangkok as anti-government protesters and soldiers fought battles on the streets of the Thai capital.More than 100 people were also injured in violence on Monday between troops and thousands of "red shirt" protesters demanding the resignation of Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Thai prime minister, and his government.Black smoke billowed into the sky and volleys of gunfire and explosions rocked the city as demonstrators armed with slingshots and machetes fought with soldiers who fired automatic weapons into the air.The two men were shot in clashes between demonstrators and local residents, said Satit Wongnongtaey, a minister at the prime minister's office.

Miley and Hannah Team Up for $34M Opening Weekend

LOS ANGELES Miley Cyrus and alter-ego Hannah Montana have double-teamed their way to another No. 1 box-office debut.Cyrus' "Hannah Montana: The Movie" opened with $34 million. The big weekend follows Cyrus' first-place premiere last year with her 3-D concert film.The movie is a big-screen installment of the Disney Channel series about a teen living a double life as an ordinary high school girl and pop star Hannah.The $17.3 million haul for "Hannah Montana" on Friday is the biggest opening day ever for a G-rated live-action movie.

Falling back to second-place this weekend is "Fast & Furious." The street-racing thriller has pulled in $28.8 million to raise its domestic total to $118 million.

Terrorist groups get wired

A pro-Taliban website proclaims its message for all to see

THE typical jihadi is imagined crouched in a trench clenching an AK-47, but recent events seem to suggest that militants may be equally at home behind a computer screen.According to a recent report in The Washington Post, Taliban-linked groups have purchased web-hosting from many US providers, such as ThePlanet, a Texas based company.Taking advantage of the anonymity afforded by the firm, extremists were able to use a credit card to pay ThePlanet to host their website, which they used to post pro-Taliban propaganda for an extended period of time, before eventually being shut down by USauthorities alerted to their presence by a blogger.‘The relatively cheap expense and high quality of US servers seems to attract jihadists,’ The Washington Post quoted Rita Katz, co-founder of the Site Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist groups, as saying.Despite the irony of militants turning to US companies to spread anti-American views, experts contend that the news is not all bad — vital information can be gleaned from monitoring the online conversations between Taliban sympathisers, and websites such as http://toorabora.com. However, given the virulent hate speech commonly found on such websites, authorities often scramble to shut them down.While it has been relatively common for militants to post their views in private chat rooms or hard-to-find websites since 2001, the trend of Taliban media appearing on mainstream file-sharing sites such as YouTube and Google video emerged about two years ago.In 2006, the Guardian quoted Josh Devon, a senior analyst at the Site Institute, as saying ‘propaganda for [extremists] is paramount.… They realise the powerful effect these videos have — especially on people who are sympathetic. It’s a great way for them to communicate with the masses. Without the internet it is very unlikely jihadist groups could command the power that they do.’Beyond videos and photographs, extremists have gone so far as to modify the popular virtual world, Second Life, to allow users to take part in ‘virtual terrorism,’ according to reports in the London-based daily, The Times.According to the newspaper, extremists have bought virtual land within the game on which they train and equip members to carry out acts of terrorism and ‘virtual atrocities.’These disturbing trends go a long way towards explaining the appeal of terrorist groups, as well as their ability to adopt cutting-edge technology and popular culture to achieve their goals.

Roger Federer Marries Longtime Girlfriend

Tennis pro Roger Federer will still be playing on the court, but he is no longer playing the field.Federer married longtime girlfriend and former tennis player Miroslava "Mirka" Vavrinec Saturday in Switzerland."In my hometown of Basel, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family, Mirka and I got married," Federer announced on his Web site. "It was a beautiful spring day and an incredibly joyous occasion."Federer and Vavrinec met at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and are expecting their first child this summer.

Night rider Stoner tops grid

Casey Stoner was on track for a third-straight Qatar MotoGP victory as he dominated qualifying to pip world champion Valentino Rossi for pole under the Losail desert floodlights.Australia's Casey Stoner, riding a Ducati, took pole position for Sunday's season-opening Qatar MotoGP after dominating qualifying here under the Losail desert floodlights.World champion Valentino Rossi was second fastest with his Yamaha teammate Jorge Lorenzo in third place.Stoner, the winner here for the last two years and the 2007 world champion, clocked 1min 55.286sec with Rossi 0.473sec behind and Lorenzo 0.497sec off the pace.Italy's Andrea Dovizioso, on a Honda, was fourth quickest.Stoner's Ducati teammate, former world champion Nicky Hayden of the United States suffered a nasty fall in the closing stages to mark his 100th grand prix in bruising style.

Real deal Raul rakes back gap

Clinical strikes from captain Raul and winger Arjen Robben gave Real Madrid a 2-0 home win over Real Valladolid that trimmed Barcelona's lead at the top of the Spanish Primera Liga back to six points.Leaders Barca had put pressure on the champions with Saturday's 2-0 victory over Recreativo Huelva at the Nou Camp that moved them nine clear overnight.Real have 69 with eight matches remaining, 12 ahead of third-placed Sevilla who host struggling Getafe later on Sunday.Valencia moved above Villarreal into fourth on 49 after Juan Mata's superb late winner gave them a 3-2 win at Sporting Gijon.

World Bank sees weak Asian growth

The World Bank has said economic growth in East Asia will slow sharply as the downturn saps demand for its exports.The 10 countries, including China and Thailand, will grow by 5.3% this year, half of the growth seen in 2007, the World Bank said in a report.China's economy is expected to grow by 6.5% in 2009, down from 13% in 2007.But the organisation said China's huge stimulus package meant its economy should start to recover later this year, potentially boosting the region.East Asia is expected to be among the worst hit areas by the global economic crisis, as richer nations in recession cut back on importing goods from the region."There is no doubt that the East Asia and Pacific region is confronting very difficult times," said Vikram Nehru, the World Bank's chief economist for the region.Among the World Bank's forecasts, the biggest reversals were Thailand, which is expected to shrink by 2.7% after growing 4.9% in 2007, and Cambodia, predicted to contract 1% after growing by more than 10% two years ago.As a result, the World Bank said it expects about 10 million more people in the region to stay below the poverty line as funding for poverty reduction is cut back.The organisation said the effects of China's stimulus package - announced last November and worth about 4tn yuan ($586bn; £421bn) - are likely to begin this year and take "full hold in 2010, potentially contributing to the region's stabilisation, and perhaps recovery".

China to create a Southeast Asian $10 billion fund

China is planning a 10-billion-dollar fund to develop South Asian infrastructures, reported state media on Sunday. The announcement was to be made by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao during the cancelled ASEAN summit in Thailand.China is to establish a 10-billion-dollar fund to help promote infrastructure projects in Southeast Asia, state media reported Sunday.The fund was among a series of measures that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao was to have announced at a cancelled Asian summit in Thailand, the Xinhua news agency said, citing Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.The planned measures also include 15 billion dollars of credit over the next three to five years to members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, Xinhua said.ASEAN was to have hosted two days of talks with the leaders of China, Japan, South Korea and other allies in the biggest international meeting since the G20 summit in London, but the event was called off due to fierce demonstrations.

Student visas used to purchase permanent passage to UK

Policemen stand guard at the site of the Manchester arrests

LONDON A wave of nervousness has swept across thousands of Pakistanis who are here on student visas, following the arrest on Wednesday of some of their country men suspected of being involved in plotting terror activities in Britain.Last year alone 9,300 students entered the UK fromPakistan.Many Pakistani youngsters in search of greener pastures and who can afford it, use the UK’s student visa facility to purchase permanent passage to Britain.In all each one spends about 20,000 pounds (two million rupees approximately) with more than half going for admission and the first semester fee plus visa fees and the rest for one way airfare and boarding and lodging for about three months—the period within which the students hope to land a job, any job.They drop out after the first semester but remain on a student visa by using all kinds of deceptions and ruses perfected by their predecessors over the years with the help of unscrupulous solicitors.The crass commercialisation of education in the UK and lax monitoring of dubious paper colleges and non-existent universities whose only concern is the money that they charge as fees make it easier for job seeking student visa ‘purchasers’ from Pakistan to arrive in the UK with no intention of studying.Only recently have British colleges been told to register with the UK Border Agency. Last month the Agency turned down 460 of the 2,100 colleges which had applied for licences to admit international students, because they were bogus establishments sponsoring students as part of an immigration scam.There are concerns inside the government and security services that the 11 Pakistani nationals being held in the north of England could have gained entry on student visas in order to form a sleeper cell. Gordon Brown talked of the police having foiled a ‘very big terrorist plot.’One Whitehall source said the police feared attacks were planned for the Easter weekend.They said the plot indicated al-Qaeda was adopting new tactics to send ‘clean skins’ – people not known to security services or the police – in from abroad, rather than using British-born terrorists to carry out attacks.Only last month, immigration minister Phil Woolas described how ‘abuse of the student visa has been the biggest abuse of the system, the major loophole in Britain’s border controls.’Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom, said his country could help carry out visa checks, but was not allowed to. He said: ‘It is at your end you have to do something more. Every day we are arresting suspects wherever we find them.’

Pope urges end to Mideast crisis in Easter message

In his traditional Easter "Urbi et Orbi" message, Pope Benedict XVI called for a renewed push for Israeli-Palestinian peace just weeks before he travels to the Holy Land for the first time as pontiff.Pope Benedict XVI called Sunday for a new push to resolve the conflict in the Middle East and for an end to "often forgotten" violence in Africa during his traditional Easter blessing."Reconciliation ... is a precondition for a future of overall security and peaceful coexistence, and it can only be achieved through renewed, persevering and sincere efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," Benedict said.The pontiff, who will turn 82 on Thursday, said reconciliation in the Middle East was "difficult, but indispensable" in his "urbi et orbi" (to the city and the world) message from the steps of St Peter's Basilica at the Vatican."Africa suffers disproportionately from the cruel and unending conflicts, often forgotten, that are causing so much bloodshed and destruction in several of her nations," the pope added.In Africa, a "growing number of her sons and daughters who fall prey to hunger, poverty and disease," Benedict lamented.The message came as Italy mourned the loss of nearly 300 people in last week's earthquake in the central Abruzzo region, and the pope singled out the survivors as he addressed Easter greetings to Catholics around the world in 63 languages."Happy Easter to you, men and women of Italy, in particular those who suffer because of the earthquake. May the risen Christ ... inspire in all the necessary wisdom and courage to proceed united in the building of a future open to hope," he said in Italian.

Italy quake survivors mark Easter

Hundreds of people made homeless by Monday's earthquake in the Italian city of L'Aquila have attended Easter Mass.Survivors used a makeshift altar in a giant tent. Similar services are being held in many surrounding villages.Some 20,000 people are living in camps in the Abruzzo region, where Monday's quake killed at least 294 people.Pope Benedict XVI sent out greetings to those "suffering from the earthquake" when he celebrated Easter Mass on St Peter's Square in the Vatican.He also delivered his main "Urbi et Orbi" (To the city and the world) blessing.

Moldova to recount disputed vote

Moldova's constitutional court has agreed to hold a recount of a general election whose results sparked violent protests in the capital, Chisinau.The court on Sunday agreed to stage a recount after a request from President Vladimir Voronin, whose Communist Party won the disputed vote."The Constitutional Court of Moldova hereby orders the Central Election Commission to recount within nine days all ballots cast by voters in the election of April 5," Dumitru Pulbere, the court’s chairman, said.The results of the vote prompted hundreds of anti-Communist activists to turnout in Chisinau, with some protesters storming the president’s office and the parliament.The vote had been given a clean bill of health by election monitors from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

1 dead, 2 hurt in attack on Nato supplies

a burnt military vehicle at a terminal on the outskirts of Peshawar

PESHAWAR One worker was killed and two others wounded in a pre-dawn attack on terminals of trucks transporting supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan on Sunday, police said.An official of Yakatoot police station said that ten loaded and empty lorries were set on fire during attack on two terminals on Ring Road at about 3am. Attackers also broke into a nearby cement export warehouse and destroyed an office and loaded truck.According to the First Investigation Report filed by the police, unidentified persons attacked Nato forces’ supplies terminals and threw petrol bombs parked there. The attackers escaped after a brief encounter with the police.Three workers suffered bullet injuries and were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital. Police said that one worker identified as Arifullah hailing from Charsadda expired in the hospital. The wounded workers included Khadim and Usman.The fire brigade was called in to extinguish the fire. Police said that fire destroyed six loaded and four empty trucks. Infrastructure of Pak-Kabul supply depot which exports cements to Afghanistan was also burnt.Frequent night attacks on these terminals have forced contractors to shift their business from Peshawar to Punjab. Police said that lack of proper security arrangements was the major reason which encouraged militants to attack these terminals.

Sri Lanka military declares truce

Sri Lanka's government has declared a temporary halt to its offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels in the north-east.The move, which aims to let civilians leave the conflict zone safely, comes in view of New Year celebrations that start on Monday, the government said.There has been no immediate response from the Tamil Tigers.The authorities have been under growing international pressure to allow time for tens of thousands of trapped civilians to leave the war zone safely.The decision came after a special cabinet meeting headed by President Mahinda Rajapakse.Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told that government forces would not engage in any offensive operations during the two-day Sinhala and Tamil New Year period.He said the decision was taken to allow time for civilians to leave the war zone safely.The authorities had been under pressure from the UN, US and other countries to allow a humanitarian pause to allow civilians time to leave the conflict zone.

Taliban shoot dead women's rights activist

Sitara Achikzai, an Afghan women's rights activist and provincial legislator in her 50s, was shot by Taliban gunmen on Sunday outside her home in Kandahar. She was one of three women sitting on the provincial council.Taliban gunmen on motorbikes gunned down a woman provincial legislator in Afghanistan Sunday as authorities said they had killed 40 more Taliban in their battle to defeat the extremists.Legislator Sitara Achikzai, a high school teacher and women's rights activist in her 50s, was shot dead outside her home in the volatile southern city of Kandahar, the head of the council, Ahmad Wali Karzai, told AFP."She has been martyred by two men on motorbikes and the case is under investigation," said Karzai, brother of President Hamid Karzai.A spokesman for the insurgent Taliban movement, Yousuf Ahmadi, told AFP by telephone that his militia had carried out the assassination.Achikzai was targeted because she did not have a "good background," he said, without explaining what this meant.The Taliban -- who had restrictive policies against women when they were in government between 1996 and 2001, including barring them from work outside of the home -- have carried out similar assassinations in Kandahar.They admitted to shooting dead the country's most high-profile female police officer in the city last year and are also suspected of the 2006 assassination of head of the provincial women's affairs department.The fundamentalists were also blamed for an attack in Kandahar in November last year in which acid was sprayed into the faces of schoolgirls.

Netanyahu, Abbas Have 'Friendly' Phone Conversation About Peace Efforts

JERUSALEM Israel's new prime minister spoke to the Palestinian president on Sunday for the first time since taking office, telling him that he seeks close cooperation to drive peace efforts forward.Talk of cooperation alone, however, is unlikely to satisfy the Palestinian leadership, which wants Israel's new government to make an unambiguous endorsement of the idea of an independent Palestinian state.While repeatedly saying he wants peace with the Palestinians, Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to support the internationally backed idea of a Palestinian state alongside Israel since taking office as premier on March 31.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said there is no reason to negotiate if Netanyahu doesn't support a "two-state solution."Netanyahu's office said Sunday's conversation was initiated by Abbas, who called the Israeli leader to send him greetings for the Jewish Passover holiday. It added that Abbas said both sides must work for peace.Describing the conversation as "warm and friendly," Netanyahu's office said the Israeli leader recalled past talks and cooperation with Abbas and said he intended to maintain a similar relationship in the future. Netanyahu was also prime minister from 1996-99 and served as foreign minister from 2002-2003.

16 killed on second day of strike in Balochistan

Pakistan, Quetta

QUETTA At least 16 people were killed and nine others injured in different incidents of shooting in Balochistan as violence intensified in the province in anger over the murder of three Baloch nationalist leaders.The bodies of Ghulam Mohammad Baloch, Lala Munir and Sher Mohammad Baloch, were found in Turbat on Wednesday night.A strike was called by the Balochistan National Party-Mengal, Baloch National Front and Baloch Students Organisation. They urged people and transporters to observe a complete wheel-jam strike on Sunday to express solidarity with the families of the Baloch leaders.On Saturday, six bullet-riddled bodies were found near a coal mine between Margat and Marwarn.‘Their hands were tied behind their back and bullets were pumped into their heads from a close range,’ DIG Wazir Khan Nasar said, adding that they worked for coal factories in the area and were kidnapped at gunpoint.The six workers were identified as Ghulam Jilani, Khalid Mehmood, Mohammad Yousuf, Karamat Ali, Khanzada and Munir Salik. Four of them hailed from Azad Kashmir and one each from Punjab and the NWFP.The bodies were sent to their native places for burial. The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the killing. Four policemen were killed and several others injured in a late night attack on a police camp in Jaffarabad.Another six people, a journalist among them, were shot dead. Four of the deaths took place in Quetta alone. The other two died in Khuzdar and Dalbandin. Gunmen fired on a group of people who were making arrangements for a wedding party in Jinnah town. A man, identified as Talib Sheikh, was killed on the spot while two others, including a 10-year-old girl, were injured.

Thaksin: Overthrow Thai government

Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has called for the overthrow of the government after authorities imposed a state of emergency in Bangkok amid widespread protests.His call came after armed soldiers were deployed across the Thai capital on Sunday, a day after "Red Shirt" movement anti-government protests forced the cancellation of a summit of Asian leaders in the beach resort of Pattaya.He said: "The troops who have already come out can come and join the Red Shirts to help us to get democracy for the people."This is a golden minute. We will make history and there will be no more coups in Thailand. We have to help achieve democracy for all of us."Thaksin, who was ousted in a 2006 coup, said on Sunday that he may return to Thailand and re-enter politics if the government moves to crack down on the opposition protests.

Abducted aid workers are alive and well-treated

Two female aid workers - both working in on the Chad border for a French charity - told AFP over the phone that they were being treated well. Their abducters claim to have targeted France in retaliation for the 2007 Zoe's Ark fiasco. Two female foreign aid workers, a Canadian and a French national, kidnapped in Darfur last week are alive and are being treated well, the Canadian hostage told AFP in a phone call on Sunday."We are being treated well. We do not know where we are," said the Canadian hostage, who identified herself as Stephanie Joidon, over a satellite phone.Armed men had kidnapped the pair, who work for French aid group Aide Medicale Internationale, from their office in South Darfur's capital Nyala, about 100 kilometres (65 miles) from the border with Chad, on April 4.The Canadian hostage, who did not sound under duress during the phone call, id entified her French colleague as Claire Dubois.Their names, which have been published in the Sudanese media, have been confirmed by a Western source."We wish (our families) much courage. We hope that all ends well," Joidon said.One of the kidnappers, who refused to give his name, named his group as the "Falcons for the Liberation of Africa", saying it was composed of former rebels and members of Arab tribes in Darfur.

Afghan cleric defends marital law

A top Afghan cleric who backs a law that critics say would allow marital rape has dismissed the outcry the legislation has generated in the West.Mohammad Asif Mohseni on Saturday accused Western critics of trying to meddle in Afghan affairs and insisted that the law offers women many protections.The law states that "it is essential for the woman to submit to the man's sexual desire" and says a husband can demand sex with his wife every four days, unless she is ill or would be harmed by intercourse.The law also regulates when and for what reasons a wife may leave her home alone.Its critics say the law is a throwback to the deposed Taliban regime, which fell in 2001 after the US invaded Afghanistan.The Taliban required women to wear all-covering burqas and banned them from leaving home without a male relative.