Category Archives: World News

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Hamas’ anti-aircraft missiles seized by Egypt

Egyptian security officials have seized many explosives, ammunition and arms hidden by Palestinians a warehouse facility in desert reportedly. The Egyptian force found a large store of ammunition that was meant to be smuggled to Gaza Strip from Sinai Peninsula and other adjacent areas.

The seized weapons include many anti-aircraft artillery shells and anti-aircraft missiles, reportedly the arms were to be smuggled to Gaza strip via tunnels. The security forces have destroyed many tunnels after firing on Israel across border with rockets and missiles

Nine weapons store were found in Sinai Peninsula prior to this in Rafah, El-Arish and also in northern and central part of the peninsula. All of them were stored and hidden in Sinai for smuggling into Gaza strip for Palestinians.

The security personnel of the Egypt revealed that there were machine guns, ammunition, 90 artillery shells, bullets of various sizes that counted 200 in number and several anti-tank landmines. There was also 100 kilograms of TNT found on the site. All ware houses are located in an isolated desert and security persons could not find anybody to interrogate regarding the ammunition found. The Egyptian authorities suspect more weapons hidden in Sinai Peninsula and they are looking for it.

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WikiLeaks chief obliged to write autobiography to pay legal bills

Julian Assange

Julian Assange is forced to write down his autobiography to pay his legal bills, he stated. WikiLeaks chief has agreed to a deal of $1.5 million to write his story for a US publisher.

Assange further stated that to keep the website going and pay for the legal battle he is fighting, he needed funds. Most of the banks and paypal have either stopped financial transactions for WikiLeaks or banned Julian Assange and he can not even receive any donation. His visa cards and credit cards have already been cancelled.

The controversial website owner told media that he had already spent $307,400on legal fights and needed money for his survival as well as continue the website. He would also get $796,654 from Alfred A Knopf, his U.S. publisher. Another deal with a British publisher Canongate would give Assange $501,000 And he expects to earn at least $1.5 million by selling the book in international markets.

Assange is living in United Kingdom on bail presently and he is wanted in cases in a Swedish court for charges of sexual assault and rape. Assange and his lawyer have continuously denied all charges and stated that this was a way to silence the controversial media person in reaction to his disclosure of US confidential documents.

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Hamas threaten to respond sternly against Israeli aggression

There is tremendous increase in tension between Palestine and Israel. Israeli military have found Palestinians trying to plot a bomb on the Gaza border.

Palestinians claimed that two of their members were killed due to gunfire opened by the soldiers and through helicopters.

This is the first clash between the two sides in last two years since Gaza War Israel has started attacking Palestinians by helicopters in response to which the later fired rockets on border after which both groups remained calm.

This has led to issuing of an ultimatum to Hamas ruling Gaza trip by the Israel’s deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom in the weekly cabinet meeting.

Shalom also warned that is unlikely to be content with pre ceasefire conditions if Palestinian rockets continued their attacks on border and would respond sternly.

Israeli cabinet Minister Yuval Steinitz stated that the country had no choice but to attack against Hamas as they are forcing to do it.

Hamas are ruling in the Gaza strip and do not recognize Israel as a nation. They continuously threaten Israel and attack it whenever get a chance for that.

In reaction to Israel’s warning the Palestinian spokesperson Abu Obeida said that Israel would face a ‘painful’ military response for it any aggression it initiates.

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Bomb Blast Kills 42 at food distribution center in Pakistan

Aftermath of suicide bomb attack in Pakistan

Clad in a veil and burqa, a suicide bomber attacked a food distribution center in Pakistan causing 42 deaths and injuring many others. The bomber attacked Khar town of Bajaur tribal area while there is a continuous fight among security forces and extremists at Afghanistan border. There was a clash also in Mohnad tribal region and more than 20 militant were killed.

The food distribution center was crowded with more than 1000 people gathered for receiving food aid. The attacker threw hand-grenades on people and then detonated explosives attached in his or her body. The identity of suicide bomber is yet unknown and it is not clear whether it was a woman or man.

There was a terrible chaotic scene visible after the explosion with bodies mangles and scattered everywhere. More than 60 people have been severely injured and hospitalized in the Peshawar hospital. The food distribution center shelters refugees coming from Afghanistan who have fled their homes or have been forcibly evacuated by the military forces.  The number of refugees has reached 300,000 due to military actions against militants since 2008.

NATO’s International Security officials revealed that they had killiedtwo militants on Friday clashes in Khowst and Logar provinces. Both Taliban and the Haqqani militants use Pakistan as a safe heaven for attacking Western troops in Afghanistan.

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US, South Korea military drills ‘intentional’ provocation: North Korea

Tension between N Korea and S Korea is increasing

North Korea has blamed the United States and South Korea for setting the peninsula region on a path to a nuclear war by launching military drills. The South Korean administration has stated that the North Korea is all set to go for another nuclear test next year.

In a report published in a major North Korean daily stated that the military drill on Yeonpyeong Island near the disputed marine border was an act of intentional provocation and Pyongyang had been closely watching the irresponsible activities of warmongers inviting an atomic war. The report further said that if North Korea is forced into a war then it has every right to protect itself using best possible means. Pyongyang could go for another nuclear test sometime next year as it needs to refine plutonium bomb, South Korea’s Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security said in a report published on its website.

North Korea has shown apprehensions regarding the military drills by South Korea and the US and said these kinds of activities are indicating toward a full-fledged invasion.

South Korean Defense Minister Kim Kwan Jin said that retaliation of any kind to further attack by the North Korea would include aerial attacks.

Korean Peninsula has been witnessing serious tensions since Pyongyang fired missiles on Yeonpyeong Island in November, leaving two soldiers and two civilians dead. Thereafter, South Korea conducted first live-firing drills on December 20 on the island.

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US Environmental Protection Agency to endorse Greenhouse Gas Regulation

Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator

The Environmental Protection Agency plans to go ahead with issuing rules to limit greenhouse gas emissions coming out of power plants and oil refineries despite strong opposition from the Congress.

The E.P.A recognizes that power plants and oil refineries are the top emitters of green house gases that pose health hazards. It plans to begin the regulation of emissions under the Clean Air Act. Coal powered power plants are already under fire for realsing many other pollutants such as: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and mercury. But this fresh order of reducing carbon dioxide could result in shutting down of many old coal powered plants.

The agency, however, is not clear how strictly it plans to enforce the rules and what results would they yield. Gina McCarthy, the assistant administrator for air and radiation, just says that the rules will be “cost-effective”.

This lack of clarity gives the power industry the weapon to question the rule on grounds of cost effectiveness. New power plants are required to put in more power supply in line.

But the E.P.A is under pressure from environment watch groups to act in this direction. They are bound to go ahead with the regulation, which they insist is not a cap-and-trade system.

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US calls on West African nations to support peacekeeping force

peacekeeping force in Ivory Coast

Buttressing of peacekeeping forces and imposing financial sanctions against President Laurent Gbagbo could help prevent a civil war in Ivory Coast.

State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley says that Gbagbo had lost the last election and he should step down making way for the elected party to form government.

While the presence of US forces is not discussed now, USA wants Nigeria and West African nations to augment the existing UN peacekeeping force. Gbagbo has already questioned the presence of UN peace keeping force in Ivory Coast. His next move could be to resist the peacekeeping force with his own force, which could lead to a civil war.

Opposition leaders are already requesting for the removal of Gbagbo who is still clinging on to power despite losing the elections. France and Germany have warned their citizens to leave the country. The UN refugee commissioner has reported that nearly 6000 people of Ivory Coast have fled the country.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick confirmed that the bank has frozen loans to the Ivory Coast. The Central Bank of West African States has also stopped lending to Ivory Coast. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern over the possibility of Ivory Coast slipping in to a civil war. US is urging and hoping that sanctions and increase presence of peacekeeping forces could stop a civil war there.

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NATO refutes US troops mulling raids in Pakistan

Kabul, Afghanistan: The coalition forces in Afghanistan has denied the media reports that US military wants to boost special activities and raids in the tribal regions of Pakistan to get hold over the extremists launching attacks on allied troops working in adjoining border areas of Afghanistan.

While denying the report published in a leading US daily, NATO’s deputy chief of communications, U.S. Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, clarified on Tuesday that the report was baseless and there was no validity in it whatsoever.

Earlier the published report had gathered a huge attention in which it mentioned that the NATO forces were thinking of launching raids in Pakistan’s tribal areas to catch militants taken refuge there to protect themselves.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s envoy to the US Husain Haqqani said that Islamabad would not allow any foreign military crossing its border and its forces were capable enough to teach lessons to extremists operating in the tribal areas. He further said that Pakistan was ready to give all possible supports to the allied forces fighting war against terror but under no circumstances would want to see foreign army on its soil.

Haqqani further said that chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen went on a visit to Pakistan and appreciated its efforts and contributions in a global war on terror; during his trip, he never gave any indication of NATO troops’ special activities in Pakistan.

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N. Korea not to retaliate over South’s drills

Yeonpyeong Island, South Korea: Despite Pyongyang’s threat for disastrous outcome, South Korea conducted live-fire military drills on an island just few kilometers away from North Korea’s shores on Monday. South Korean administration evacuated the adjoining land border and instructed the island residents to hide themselves in case of military attack.

The military exercise, which lasted for few hours, was conducted nearly after a month since North Korean army bombarded Yeonpyeong Island. The attack targeting civilian areas, killing marines and construction workers, was the first since the Korean War of 1950-53. Since then the Korean peninsula remained volatile and disturbed.

The UN diplomats organized a meeting on Sunday to fins a solution to the problem but in vain. North Korea described the military drills an irresponsible act of Seoul but said that it would hold own fire as South Korean army had changed its firing zones. North Korea has been claiming the waters around Yeonpyeong as its region. After the exchange of firings last month, Pyongyang accused the South Korean army of firing missiles into its waters but Seoul refuted the claim by saying that artilleries were fired in the southern direction.

North Korea, however, issued another boiling statement in which it vowed to go for military attack.

Meanwhile, South Korean president Lee Myung-bak has said that Seoul is equipped enough to tackle untoward circumstances if any arising out of military clash with North Korea.

The US and others wanted the United Nations Security Council to condemn military firing of North Korea and blamed the North for igniting the already tensed atmosphere in the peninsula.

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N Korea Threatens Seoul to Attack again

North Korea Threatens Merciless Action Against South

Seoul: North Korea warned South against its planned live firing drill on an island which has been a matter of dispute for both the nations. North Korea threatened to take stern actions against South if the later would not stop its action immediately.

It is reported that tension has aggravated in the Korean peninsula between these two countries following Seoul’s announcement regarding a military drill on Yeonpyeong Island. Prior to it N Korea had warned South Korea responding to its military exercises on the disputed sea border on Nov 23. However, the South called these drills as routine.

N Korea gave the warning following Seoul’s declaration to give a stern response to any attack on its territory.

China too confirmed South Korea’s threatening to attack N Korea, during a talk with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and appealed for cooperation to defuse tension in the Korean peninsula.

U.S. diplomatic troubleshooter Bill Richardson also visited North Korea to establish peace in the Korean peninsula”.

Dai Bingguo, a Chinese diplomat, called on the United States for cooperation over the Korean peninsula in his meeting with Steinbergon Friday.

The US official had visited China to ask to pressurize N Korea and stop its aggressions against South. The United States have been severely criticizing China over its silence on N Korea’s declaration of its nuclear power.